A Hazy Shade of Winter
by slaygirl190
Summary: Sequel to Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground. Punk is at the top of the WWE but John's career is in a downward spiral. Can their relationship survive the stress or will this prove to be their undoing.
1. Chapter 1

_Disclaimer: I do not own the WWE, not even a single share, though I am considering buying one so I own one half of one half of one half of one millimeter of Punk._

**_A Hazy Shade of Winter_**

**November 26, 2011**

Punk and John had enjoyed their few days off in Tampa where it was still warm despite the fact that it was winter. They spent most of their time either by the pool or in the bed upstairs. John's morose mood had completely lifted in the time away from work and his usual lighthearted disposition was back. They were sunning themselves by the pool when John's cell phone started to ring. John looked at the incoming number and stared with confusion at the phone, finally answering the call.

"Hello…yeah, you too…Yeah, Punk's here with me…You want to what? That doesn't sound like a good idea in the slightest…You must be really bored if you're relying on Punk and I to entertain you…Okay, fine. What's the address?...Yeah, we'll bring them...We'll come over in an hour…Bye."

"What was that about?"

"It was Adam."

"Copeland?"

"Yeah. Apparently he's bored and figured we might both in town and he invited us over for a Bar-B-Q at his place."

"I take it that this is the first request of this kind?"

"Yeah. He sounded so down on the phone and you know what a pushover I am. We'll stay for a few hours tops. We're probably the only people in Tampa that he can probably stomach."

"Fine. At least Adam's not boring which is more than I can say for some of the people you choose to associate with," Punk smiling faintly.

"What's that look for?"

"Nothing, nothing. Let's go grab a shower and get dressed and then we'll go over."

They eventually dressed and grabbed their swimsuits and went over to Adam's. When John knocked on the door it was opened by Christian who seemed shocked to find them on the doorstep.

"What the fuck!" John yelled.

"Give us a second," and Punk pulled John a little ways down the sidewalk while he could hear Christian yelling for Adam who apparently didn't bother to tell any of his guests who would be in attendance. "Listen, I forgave Christian a while ago for what happened, there's no need to get all worked up. He's back with Adam now and there's nothing to worry about."

"You don't seem surprised by this in the slightest."

"I knew they were back together and when you said Adam invited us over I just assumed Christian would be here as well. Do we need to leave?"

"Do you really want to stay?" John asked hoping for a negative response.

"Come on, they are some of the few people that know about us and they definitely won't judge us or go running off their mouths. It might be fun."

"If Christian steps over the line…"

"Yeah, yeah, you're going to go all possessive boyfriend on him."

They walked back to the front door where Adam was waiting with Christian looking at John over Adam's shoulder.

"Listen, John, you and Christian can go onto the patio and make peace or fight it out or whatever. Punk and I will be in the kitchen," Adam said escorting them to the door and pushing both men out.

Punk looked at Adam and shook his head, "If they both end up bloody it's all on you."

John stared stonily at Christian who seemed to be getting more uncomfortable as the silence wore on. Obviously it got to him when he started talking hurriedly.

"I know what I did was fucked up but Adam had broken up with me and I was so upset and I just wanted to make him jealous."

John just nodded.

"Not that I want to get attacked again or anything but Punk's…"

"Highly irresistible, which I am well aware of. I'm willing to let it go this once because the list of people Punk and I can be ourselves around is a very short and Punk considers you a friend but you step one toe out of line..."

"I get the message, thank you John. Let's get back inside so that Adam and Punk can stop attempting to read our lips. Adam's probably got a glass against the window trying to hear what we're saying," and they went back inside.

"Good. Now that the macho posturing is all finished let's go outside and have some fun," Adam said leading them all out to the backyard.

John actually found himself having a pretty good time. They horsed around in the pool and the food was good and he and Punk didn't have to hide their relationship. There was only one moment when John caught Adam eyeing Punk but he couldn't really blame the guy and held himself in check.

Eventually the sun went down and they moved inside to watch the last UFC pay per view that Adam had DVR'd. Adam and Christian left John and Punk in the living room while they went to get drinks from the kitchen and were in there for quite a while. When they finally came back Christian dimmed the lights, sitting next to John with Adam next to him.

They were watching the fights for a while when John felt fingers skim over the back of this neck. He looked over at Punk who was slouched in his seat with his hands crossed over his chest, engrossed in what was happening on the TV. John just passed it off as an accident. Adam got up and went into the kitchen and when he returned he moved to the other side of the sofa next to Punk.

John was momentarily confused when Christian moved closer to him on the sofa, their bodies pressed together. John was shocked when Christian's hand found his way to his knee and he nuzzled the side of John's neck. John looked over at Punk who was staring at John with wide eyes, Adam's hand sliding over Punk's chest.

John jumped up, grabbing Punk's hand and pulling him up off the sofa.

"We really need to get going. We had a great time; we'll do it again sometime."

John dragged Punk with him to the door and hustled him into the car. They had maybe gone a couple of hundred feet when Punk burst out laughing.

"Yeah, laugh it up, I should have known something was up by the way Adam was looking at you and you're not the one who had Christian all over you."

"Well, I'm sure you told Christian not to touch me, you brought that all on yourself," and Punk starting laughing hysterically.

"Will you stop your cackling, E&C just tried to seduce us. We're never going over there again."

"We'll just tell them that as flattered as we are we just don't swing that way. Wait, who am I kidding, of course they'll try again, they're them. You could have just let the poor things watch," Punk said jokingly.

"I do not share!"

Punk just kept laughing.

**November 28, 2011**

_Monday Night Raw_

John and Punk entered the arena in Columbia. For once Punk knew who he would be facing without Laurinaitis scheduling him for some on the spot match. Del Rio would be getting his rematch and most definitely walking out with nothing. John however was not scheduled for a match but Roddy Piper had asked for his presence on a special Piper's Pit that night. Punk was well schooled in Piper's volatility because he himself shared the same trait. They made their way to the locker room, John just watching Punk changed into his gear and then pulling on his street clothes over them because he was booked for the main event and the end of the show.

Punk watched John leave for the ring with trepidation. He took a seat in the monitor bay between Melina and Randy. Randy had been uncommunicative lately, it was obvious his mind was somewhere else, probably on Wade Barrett who seemed to have Randy's number.

Punk turned to Melina who also looked particularly grim.

"What's wrong? Who do I need to go choke out in an abandoned hallway?"

"Laurinaitis. I've been released. Well, I guess you could say that I've been "Future Endeavored."

"You're kidding me. You're one of the most skilled Divas we have."

"No matter how skilled I am I haven't had a match in months. They're done with me, so John is done with the WWE."

"What!"

"This is his last match for the WWE. After that we'll just have to see what happens."

"Is he considering another promotion?"

"Not right now. I think he just wants to take some time to get his body back to 100% and then maybe try acting or something. Of course I feel guilty as hell. I'm basically the reason he's leaving. He's giving up his dream because the WWE finds me useless. I know for sure now that he loves me and would do anything for me, that's something at least."

"I'm going to miss the hell out of you woman."

"There's always the phone, I need my updates on the state of you and John's relationship, and I'm sure if I pester you enough you're going to give up the juicy details eventually."

Punk leaned over and kissed Melina on the temple, Melina looked up at Punk with a strained smile and rested her head on his shoulder.

"Not to be mushy or anything because I know it's neither one of our speeds, but I want to thank you for giving me a chance. Everyone else wrote me off but you still wanted to be my friend," Melina said quietly so that no one could eavesdrop on their conversation.

"I've never been one to follow the crowd. I have no idea who I'm supposed to mock our co-workers with now. John can only take so much of that before his boy scout side makes an appearance," Punk grabbed Melina's hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. He was going to miss that crazy bitch.

Punk turned to face the monitor in an even worse mood than he had been in before. Laurinaitis was taking away his best friend and Morrison was leaving with her. That was two members of his close knit group of people he considered to be his true friends. He would still have John, of course, and Randy, but these days Randy seemed to be trapped in that place in his head that Punk knew he was better off knowing as little as possible.

The three of them turned to the monitor as the signature began to run on the screen. The show opened with Piper making his way to the ring. Piper started talking about how the fans made him what he was. Punk could see the train wreck coming from a mile away, this was going to be ten times worse than This is Your Life. John eventually made his way into the arena and Punk was thankful that the crowd seemed to be split down the middle in their opinion of John so it was unlikely that he was going to let Piper get the better of him.

Piper introduced John as someone that didn't care what the fans though of him which John took exception to. Punk knew that the fans were highly important to him, even the ones that would like to see him jump off a bridge. As the show went on Punk could see that John was upset but trying to smile through the horrid situation he found himself in. Punk found himself agreeing with Piper that John needed to tell all those fans that booed him exactly what he thought of them. John started going down the list of some of the most brutal crowds he had ever faced, one being Chicago at Money in the Bank.

Piper started to praise John and that's when Punk knew that Piper had something up his sleeve that John wouldn't like one bit. Piper went so far as to call John a future Hall of Famer and Piper handed John his Hall of Fame ring and then just as quickly Piper cocked his hand back and slapped John across the face, the sound reverberating through the building. Punk saw red and was ready to go out there and GTS Piper but Randy restrained him and Punk watched as John struggled not to give Piper the same slap he had given him and just walked away back up the ramp.

Punk jumped up from his seat and rushed to the arena entrance, making it there just in time as John was making his way through the curtains. John grabbed him by the wrist and pulled him down the hallway where he found an empty room and locked the door behind them. Punk could see the livid handprint across John's cheek. John dropped Punk's wrist and slid down the door, his legs tucked into his chest and his head resting on them. This wasn't the angry John he had seen periodically the last few weeks, this John was completely despondent.

"I can take the hostile crowds, people yelling at me on the street, but now I'm getting smacked around by Hall of Famers! When the fuck is this going to end? I would have AA'd the bastard if I thought I wouldn't break a WWE legend in half. I can't tell the fans what I think of their hatred of me but I damn well wanted to tell Piper exactly what I thought of him."

"Maybe he's right. Maybe you would feel better if you just let loose on the fans. I can tell you from personal experience that it's quite a relief to get that stuff off your chest. This Rise Above Hate stuff is only going to make you feel a little bit worse every day until you just can't take it anymore and you're going to go off one thousand times worse than if you just calmly relayed to the fans that they could kiss your ass."

"My career has been on the fast track to hell since Money in the Bank, no offense; I don't know what else could possibly happen to make this worse."

"Could you please try not to jinx yourself. WrestleMania is a long time from now, and even then, when you beat the Rock, it's going to get even worse," Punk said, crouching down so that he could see John's face and not the back of his head. John looked up at Punk, and then pulled him down until he was sitting between John's spread legs, his back resting against John's chest. John dropped a kiss onto Punk's neck and then buried his face in Punk's neck.

They stayed that way for a while, until Punk spoke up. "I really don't want to break this up but I need to get back to the monitor bay for Melina."

"What's wrong?"

"Morrison and Melina are leaving the WWE, its John's last match tonight against the Miz."

"Let's go then," and Punk stood up dragging John up after him.

They made their way to the monitor bay where Melina was practically in tears.

"What happened?" Punk asked soothingly.

"Miz attacked John with a lead pipe while he was making his way toward the ring. John's wrestling on one leg but he still seems to be getting the better of Miz. John and Punk looked up at the monitor seeing Miz crawling away from the ring and up the ramp, John pursuing him. Miz had obviously been luring John in when he jumped up and threw John into part of the set. Melina's hands flew over her mouth. They watched as Miz hit the Skull Crushing Finale on John on the grating of the ramp. John wasn't moving. Melina jumped out of her seat and took off to the arena entrance at a run. Punk and John kept watching as the paramedics strapped John to a board and wheeled him out. If this was how the night was starting out Punk began to despair over his Championship match later in the show.

Punk watched as Laurinaitus came on the screen with Otunga in Laurinaitis' office. Punk got up from his seat, knowing this was a conversation he should be in on, and he had spent some time preparing a new round of insults inspired by the WWE's sudden obsession with the internet. He had to do something to get his brain out of the dark state of mind he currently found himself the victim of. By the time he made it to Laurinaitis' office Laurinaitis had also been joined by del Rio and Rodriguez. Punk thought this couldn't work out any better, the more people to mock the better he would feel.

"156,000 is the amount of hits you get when you type in Laurinaitis and spineless into Google search. 918,000, that's the number of hits you get when you type in Alberto del Rio and boring. Congratulations Berto, you are somehow 9 times more boring that Johnny here is spineless. Otunga, I typed your name in too but all I got was a bunch of hits about someone named Jennifer Hudson."

Punk went on to rub it in that there was no way he wasn't leaving as Champion and he walked out the door. When he arrived back in the monitor bay he saw John watching the hallway. When John caught sight of him, he joined him in the hallway, leading him a little ways away from the rest of the roster.

"Not that we need anything else to go wrong tonight but after you left Laurinaitis decided that if you get yourself intentionally disqualified you will lose your Championship."

"Well, it's been awhile since I've gotten myself intentionally disqualified, and I wasn't planning on doing that tonight, but it wasn't so long ago that Rodriguez got me disqualified by beating Mark Henry with a shoe. I'm just going to have to keep my eyes open if I don't want to be screwed because that's never happened before," Punk said sarcastically.

They settled down to watch the rest of the show, but it was obvious that Punk's mind was on his Championship match and not what was on the screen. The watched as Randy lost to Ziggler due to interference from Barrett. It would be only a matter of time before Randy went totally crazy on someone. John didn't even try to talk to Randy when he took his place in the monitor bay, he wasn't suicidal.

Punk got even more wound up when Daniel Bryan came to the ring for an interview with that jackass Michael Cole. So what if Bryan decided to cash in early instead of at WrestleMania. A lot of people, including him, may have had grand ideas for their briefcase but when the perfect opportunity presented itself you took it. Bryan was an old friend from their indie days but as he knew all too well the WWE wasn't exactly kind to wrestlers that had found fame outside the WWE before joining the company. He wondered if Cole knew how close he was to "getting his fucking head kicked in" as they used to chant in ROH.

The only really strange thing to happen last night, which was saying something in the WWE, was when Evan suddenly yelled from a few seats down from him, "What the hell was that?"

Evan immediately whipped his phone out and started typing quickly. Before long he had a large group of his co-workers clustered around him staring at the tiny screen on his phone. Punk and John waited for the crowd to clear out. His co-workers had assembled in groups around the room talking furiously about whatever they had just seen. Punk and John leaned over Evan's shoulder, watching the clip that had set the room abuzz. It turned out that the link had briefly shown on the screen and Evan, who was considered one of the most tech savvy guys in the back had caught it.

The video was creepy as hell and apparently was announcing the return of someone on January 2, 2012. Punk thought back over the recent additions to the WWE roster and not a single one of them had turned out particularly well for either him or John. He had no idea what "It Begins" was supposed to mean but he had a feeling that whatever ominous thing this promo was predicting, it would no doubt come to bite him in the ass.

The theories around the room seemed to center on the Undertaker and Chris Jericho. He wasn't really concerned about the Undertaker but if it was Jericho then it was definitely something he needed to be worrying about.

The disturbing promo trend continued when they showed a clip that was obviously predicting the return of Kane. Raw was quickly turning into an episode of Tales from the Crypt.

It was finally time for Punk's match, John walking him to the arena entrance, pausing briefly in the hallway for Josh Mathews to get a sound bite from Punk on his way to the match. John stood out of frame as Punk told Mathews that Laurinaitis could kiss his ass. They resumed their walk to the arena entrance.

"Kiss your ass? Isn't that a little out of the realm of our PG rating?" John asked even though he was still chuckling from Punk's outburst.

"You can disarm the censors so that we keep our rating while I sneak in foul language if I want to. Anyway, the kiddies are probably tucked into bed by now."

They passed the side entrance to the ring just as del Rio's car was pulling into the arena. Both men just looked at each other and rolled their eyes. They stood in front of the arena entrance and John placed his hands on Punk's shoulders, lightly massaging them. John touched his forehead to Punk's and started speaking softly.

"You've beat del Rio a handful of times, tonight shouldn't be any different, just don't get yourself intentionally disqualified, you're going to have to be on your toes because I'm sure del Rio or that sneaky bastard Rodriguez are going to be looking for any opportunity to frame you for something you didn't do."

Punk just nodded his head as his music cued up. John gave Punk's shoulders one last squeeze and sent him out into the arena. John decided to wait by the entrance for Punk and watched as Punk made his way to the ring on the monitor he could see over the shoulder of the production tech.

John watched as del Rio was in full control of the offense. Del Rio might be pretentious as all hell but the man was an adept wrestler. The match had been going on for ten minutes without any sign of shady behavior from del Rio or Rodriguez. The crowd may hate him but they were fully behind Punk and he couldn't fault their taste in that.

The matched veered away from fairness when del Rio started to unlace the padding on one of the turnbuckles while the official was checking on Punk. The official turned around in time to catch del Rio in the act and stop him from completing his actions. While the official was fixing the turnbuckle Rodriguez threw a chair into the ring and what happened next was a move taken directly from the Eddie Guererro playbook. Del Rio banged the chair on the mat to simulate contact and threw the chair to Punk. Punk looked at the chair and then threw it back to del Rio and Punk threw himself down on the canvas. While Punk was playing nice with the other kids these days his nefarious mindset was still functioning.

The official turned around just in time to see del Rio throw the chair away and then saw Punk laid out on the mat. The official moved to disqualify del Rio but he was doing anything in this power to prevent the official from doing so. Punk tried to sneak a roll up pin while del Rio was distracted but del Rio kicked out. Rodriguez got up onto the apron, distracting the official while del Rio fully exposed the turnbuckle. He tried to slam Punk's head into the metal but Punk fought out and GTS'd del Rio with his head striking the steel instead of Punk's knee like usual. Punk got the pin.

Rodriguez immediately got into an argument with the official trying to explain what Punk had pulled but if the official didn't see it then it didn't happen. Punk entered the conversation obviously denying everything. He must have gotten bored because he GTS'd Rodriguez leaving both del Rio and his stooge out of it.

After celebrating his win Punk made his way backstage and met John who was smiling slightly.

"I see your sense of fair play isn't entirely intact."

"I played as fair as he did. Anyway, it's what he gets for screwing up my shoulder once again. At least this should end things between del Rio and me. He had his rematch and he botched the job. There's probably a line of people who think they're number one contender forming outside Laurinaitis' office as we speak."

"Come on. Let's get you back to the hotel room so you can begin your ritual of Icy Hot and ice packs. That's one thing I won't miss because there's nothing sexy about that smell, it reminds me of my grandfather which is a cockblock of ultimate proportions."

_AN: Hope everyone had a good holiday. I want to send a shout out to all of you who have put out fic lately, you've made me a very happy girl cause you can never have enough Cena/Punk stories. I wrote this while watching Impact for the first time in my life and I have deduced that WWE is not in any sort of trouble because we're not selling advertising space on the turnbuckles just yet. Hope you enjoy the new fic. BTW, sorry for dangling the group sex at you and then jerking it back but my John just isn't down with sharing unfortunately for us all._


	2. Chapter 2

**November 29, 2011**

John and Punk awoke to the phone ringing with their wake-up call. Both men headed for the shower taking a practical shower which was not their usual MO for shared showers. They dressed quickly and packed their things, making their way downstairs where the roster members who were taking the trip to Yokohama were assembled. Punk looked around at his assorted co-workers and wondered if it was too late to take Google Map's advice and kayak across the Pacific.

The usual road agents where there with the addition of one man that he didn't recognize. The unknown man raised his fingers to his lips and let out a high pitched whistle that caught the attention of the group. "I'm Nick out of the Tokyo office. It's my job to get you in and out of Japan in one piece and prevent any international incidents. I have your visas so we're set there. All that's left is for everyone get your stuff together and get on the bus. We're taking a commercial flight out of Columbia to New York so if we're running late I doubt they're going to hold the flight for us."

As it turned out they would have held the flight for them since they were the only ones on it. Punk thought they should rename the Columbia Regional Airport to the Columbia Rural Airport. There was one ticket desk and they just piled their luggage in a corner. Their plane was a small turbo-prop that only sat 20 and didn't have any overhead compartments because the ceiling was so low. If only they were taking less people along they could have taken the WWE jet or they could have chartered a bigger jet if the one runway they were working with was long enough for a jet to land, which it wasn't. Soon enough they were all seated in their death trap of a plane. The pilots didn't even bother to close the cockpit door so Punk figured if they were going down at least he'd have some prior warning. The flight was pretty bumpy and Punk could barely hear himself think over the sounds of the propellers though it didn't seem to bother John who was asleep and kept trying to make Punk's chest his pillow. They finally landed and made their way through LaGuardia.

They switched to Virgin Atlantic where they had booked the entire upper class cabin for the flight to Tokyo which was going to take twelve hours, they all had their own beds, even if they were a little small for some of the guys. Even though he and John were seated next to each other it was a little strange because there were partitions between the seats and he and John would have to sleep with a wall between them. The roster mingled in the cabin for the first couple of hours of the flight but eventually everyone returned to their own areas and settled down for a long uninterrupted sleep which they were usually denied. Punk awoke after a couple of hours to find John looking over the partition at him.

"You're watching me sleep, that's kind of creepy you know," Punk whispered with a sleepy smile.

"I watch you sleep all the time, this is just the first time that you caught me, move over."

Punk sat up and moved towards the front of the bed. John lay in Punk's bed resting his head in Punk's lap.

"Don't you think this is a little risky?" Punk asked, his hand almost involuntarily running itself over John's scalp.

"I'm rapidly approaching the point where I just don't care anymore."

"This cabin isn't exactly full of people who are especially fond of us."

John just stared up into Punk's eyes. "Have you been to Japan before?"

"No. I assume you have?"

"Once or twice but it was on overseas tours and we didn't even stay the night," John murmured picking up Punk's other hand and kissing the palm.

"Could you two keep it down, I'm trying to…Whoa."

Punk and John looked up, John's mouth still on Punk's hand. Zack was looking at them over the partition in the next row in complete shock.

"We'll keep quiet, you should too," Punk said, a hint of warning in his voice.

"Zack, listen…" John said pleadingly.

"No worries, my lips are sealed," Zack making a locking motion over his lips before his head disappeared back below the partition.

"You should probably go back to your own bed," Punk said pulling his hands away from John.

John leaned up, kissing Punk softly before going back to his own bed.

Punk tossed and turned for the rest of the flight. When they finally landed in Tokyo Punk looked at John who seemed to have gotten about as much sleep as he did. They deplaned and had to wait to get through customs before they took the high speed rail to Yokohama which cut the hour trip between the cities in half. By the time they got to the hotel it was 2AM. Some of the roster elected to explore the nightlife of the town but Punk and John made their way to their hotel room. When they opened the door it was so bright in the room as if the lights were already on.

"What is that?"

Punk walked over to the open curtains and looked out. A block or two away from the hotel was a tower that was lit up with white lights.

"Any idea what that building is?" Punk asked.

"No clue," John said, wrapping his arms around Punk's waist and brushing his lips behind Punk's ear.

Punk turned around and pressed his lips to John's. They didn't bother closing the curtains for hours.

**November 30, 2011**

When they woke up the next morning Punk took the opportunity to drag John all over the surrounding area, Zack tagging along with them. Punk decided that as long as Zack could keep his mouth shut he really wasn't all that bad, even allowing Zack to get a few shots of him and John together that Zack promised to email him when they got back to the states.

Punk led them to the Yokohama Marine Tower, which was the lit up building that they had seen from their hotel room. It was a now defunct inland lighthouse that had an observation tower at the top. As John passed the elevator and made for the stairs Punk and Zack exchanged a pained expression but followed John up the stairs. From the observation deck there were amazing views of Tokyo Bay and Mount Fuji. They eventually found their way back to the hotel and boarded the bus to the arena with the rest of the roster, everyone sharing stories of their wanderings in the city.

The show showcased a different group of roster members than usual, the road agents selecting the wrestlers that would most appeal to the Japanese audience. Unfortunately this included Kevin Nash and Punk hoped Triple H would hurry his ass up and get back soon so that he might never have to see Nash's decrepit ass again. He became a true Zack Ryder fan as he and his tag team partner The Big Show defeated Nash and Ziggler.

John made short work of the Miz to the delight of the Japanese audience due to Miz having taken the time to learn insults in their native language. The Japanese crowd absolutely loved John and that seemed to boost his performance in the ring to levels that Punk hadn't seen in a while. Punk had obviously neglected to notice that the hate that John faced these days was causing his in ring performance to suffer. Punk was glad that the crowd was so receptive and John's sunny mood was absolutely blinding when he returned from the ring.

Punk himself faced del Rio who had made the trip without his ring announcer so the usual interference was cut down to zero. They had their usual highly competitive match but Punk put him away before del Rio could resort to his usual tactic of trying to dislocate his shoulder from his body.

That night the entire roster took the train back to Tokyo to take the traditional trek to Ribera Steakhouse that all wrestlers visited when touring through the area. They passed through the Shibuya area of Tokyo which was like Times Square on steroids. They were lucky that their unofficial tour guide Nick was there because they would have never been able to cross the busy street due to none of the wrestlers being able to quite figure out the hectic five-way crosswalk.

They finally made their way to the restaurant, he and John sitting at a table with Zack and Kelly. Punk found the combination of steak and rice a little strange but the restaurant was fun, welcoming their raucous group. At the end of the meal instead of the standard check being delivered to the table they all received silver satin jackets with the Ribera name on the back. Also on offer were pairs of unbearably loud Zubaz pants that had been so popular in the 80's. The whole roster donned the jackets but Zack was the only one to go into the bathroom and change into the pants. He looked crazy but Punk had to give him props for not caring what anyone thought of him. They spent the rest of the night under the huge big screens and bright lights of Tokyo. Leaving the city Punk spied a wooden entrance way that seemed totally at odds with the urban atmosphere that surrounded them.

When Punk and John were back in their room John choose to don the crazy pants and walk about the room while Punk rolled around the bed in laughter. He had never been so happy to strip John out of his clothes in his life.

**December 1, 2011**

The pants made a repeat performance in the locker room the next day while they were putting their gear on for the final house show in Yokohama. John had pulled on the Zubaz pants along with his Ribera jacket. Punk just stared at John with his trunks in his hand for a few moments. John turned to look at the staring Punk.

"What?"

"Are you seriously going out there like that, can't you have the jorts make a come-back or something?"

"As I clearly recall you've gone out to the ring in questionable attire before. If I let that go without a single comment I can go out to the ring like this."

"I think if you look around you'll find I'm not the only one looking at you strangely."

John looked around and indeed the entire roster, other than Zack, was looking at him like he had lost his mind.

"Awesome gear!" Zack yelled from across the room.

"You're lucky you're John Cena and can do pretty much whatever you want," Punk said, shaking his head, despairing of John's personal style.

Zack's comment turned out to be spot-on because when the crowd saw John they were even louder than they had been the day before. Punk found he could forgive any sort of strange attire when John beat down Kevin Nash in the ring. Punk again beat the hell out of del Rio and found himself so uncharacteristically happy that even John was looking at him askance.

On the bus ride back to the hotel Punk sat up front with Nick getting the information he needed for his plans for the rest of the day. They returned to their hotel room and John changed into his normal attire. They took the train back to Tokyo with some of the roster that wanted to get as much fun as they could out of their overseas trip.

Punk led John to the wooden entrance way he had spied the day before.

"What is this?" John asked questioningly.

Punk's answer was cut off when John found himself surrounded by two sets of small arms.

"John Cena! John Cena!"

There were two young boys with their arms wrapped around John's middle. Their parents hurried to retrieve their children but John just crouched down to their level.

"Hi boys, what are your names?"

"I'm Ty and this is my little brother Steven we're your biggest fans."

"I'm sure you are. Do you know what this place is, my friend won't tell me," John nodding his head toward Punk. The kids looked at Punk with wide eyes and the younger of the two children opened his mouth to say something but their parents stepped in.

"Sorry about that."

"It's no problem; I always loved to meet my fans. So what is this place?"

"It's the Meiji Jingu Temple, the kids love to visit."

"Are you on vacation?" Punk asked.

"No, we both work for the American Embassy. I take it you've never visited the temple before." Both John and Punk nodded. "How about we walk you through, the kids would love it."

John and Punk followed the kids and their parents through the temple, following their lead and bowing before the wooden entrance.

"A temple, really? That doesn't seem like your speed."

"There's more to Japan than satin jackets and bright lights, a little culture won't kill us."

They eventually came upon the main section of the temple which was a waist high pool.

"Just do what we do," the kids said with excitement and Punk and John repeated their motions, following an intricate series of hand washing. John looking at Punk trying to figure out what Punk had gotten them into when he followed the motions of the kids and lifted his hands to his mouth, washing it out with the water. They eventually clapped twice when the kids started pulling on John's shirt.

"Now you make a wish and then you bow!"

John followed the directions of his fans and watched as Punk did the same. They walked back the way they came, Punk and John walking behind the American couple, their hands brushing occasionally.

"So what did you wish for?" John asked Punk.

"Don't you know that if you tell it won't come true," Punk said with a smile and squeezed John's hand.

John squeezed right back and thought about the wish he had made. Of course it was about Punk, but it was a wish that he knew could never come true. Their careers made it impossible and it was only something that could be gotten in a few states in America and Canada.

_AN: I don't celebrate New Year's Eve (a quirk of mine) so I took the opportunity to write, which I did while watching JAWS so you're lucky one of our boys weren't the victim of a shark attack. Again, I have not been to the place I'm writing about so forgive me any errors. Best of luck with your New Year's resolutions!_


	3. Chapter 3

**December 3, 2011**

Both Punk and John had been completely exhausted when they returned to Punk's apartment in Chicago. They had immediately crawled into bed and slept the morning away. Later that afternoon they relocated to watch some classic horror movie that Punk insisted on even though John was of a different mind entirely on what was considered light hearted entertainment. It was no surprise that he fell asleep about thirty minutes into the movie.

When John woke up he found that he was no longer spooned behind Punk because Punk had gone missing. He eventually found Punk in his bathroom with both cabinet drawers pulled out, lying on the floor. Next to Punk was a trash bag that Punk was throwing random items into.

"What are you doing?"

"Spring cleaning."

"It's winter."

"I'm getting a head start this year."

John moved into the bedroom and found his clothes neatly folded sitting on the bed.

"Are you my maid now too by any chance?" John yelled towards the bathroom.

"That was a one-time deal, you better start thinking up ways to reward me for the hard work it took, folding clothes is hard."

"As much as a appreciate the gesture I'm getting pretty bored of carrying around the same clothes for what feels like months on end. I'm tired of looking at them, I think I'm just going to toss these instead of bringing them back to Tampa on Monday and go out today and buy all new stuff."

Punk emerged from the bathroom, "No need to do that, you can just put all your things here," Punk said, sliding open a drawer on his dresser and then returning to his project in the bathroom.

John approached the drawer with his things and found that it was completely empty. He pulled open the drawer below it and it was also empty. He quickly moved to the closet and opened the door. Punk's things were hung haphazardly on one side and, following the trend, the other side was empty. He went to the side of the bed that he considered his and opened up the drawer on the nightstand which was also completely empty. John had to take a seat on the bed to reign in his racing heart. Did this all mean what he thought it meant? He hoped with all his heart that it did.

John returned to the bathroom to find Punk dumping the contents of one drawer into the other, leaving one empty and then sliding them both back into place in the cabinet. John stepped further into the bathroom and toyed with the handle on the empty drawer.

"Is this for me?"

"Yep. You've even got a spot for your toothbrush right here next to mine, but if I catch your using mine then there's no telling what I might do to yours."

"Fair enough, and the dresser and the closet and the nightstand…"

"All yours too."

"Is this your backhanded way of asking me to move in with you?"

"Not in the slightest, I'm straight up asking you right now to move in with me. I was pretty sure of your answer so I started moving my things around while you were knocked out on the couch. We have technically been living together on the road for months now, mostly without incident, and I don't think the co-mingling or our material goods are going to change that."

"But Tampa…"

"I'm not asking you to give up your life I'm just offering you the option of setting up a second base of operations…no, you know what, screw the euphemisms, I'm asking you if you want to set up a second home, here, with me."

"Yes Phil, yes, whatever you want."

"Those are the words I wanted to…"

But Punk's words were cut off when John lifted Punk off his feet and tossed him onto the bed that was now half his. John moved to ambush Punk but all he met was mattress as Punk had rolled out of the way.

"Hey, I was getting somewhere…"

"Yeah, on my side of the bed, yours is the left."

"Are you planning to draw a line between the two with a roll of duct tape or something?"

"That sounds like a good plan…" Punk was again cut off but this time by John kissing him.

Punk eventually resurfaced from the kissing, "Okay, I may be inclined to allow conjugal visits to my side of the bed on occasion."

"And now being one of those times?"

"Most definitely," but it was Punk that crossed the imaginary line and draped himself over John resuming the kissing that John had initiated earlier. They stayed that way for a long time, neither one hurrying the progression of their passion along.

After a long while Punk's hands began to inch up John's chest, bringing up John's shirt along with it, Punk tossing it aside. Punk followed the path his hands had just taken with his mouth. When he reached John's waistband he sat up, undoing the buckles and zippers and then easing them down John's legs taking his boxer briefs with them. John was laid out naked and hard on the bed but Punk seemed to be frozen at the foot of the bed staring up at John.

"What?" John said, not bothered in the slightest that he was spread out like some sort of erotic buffet but Punk not pouncing on him was unusual. John went to sit up but Punk pushed him back down onto the bed with his hand.

"I'm just taking it all in. I'm not one prone to compliments but holy fuck me are you hot. I really could just sit here and stare."

"While I do love the compliment, I think I'd much rather get an eyeful for myself."

Punk just nodded, kneeling at the foot of the bed and divesting himself of his clothes. Punk straddled John and crawled up his body on hands and knees, giving John a deep kiss before pulling back with a wicked smile, the green of his eyes had turned impossibly dark. Punk pulled all the way back into a seated position in John's lap.

"I need you to hand me what's inside you bedside table drawer."

John hadn't seen anything earlier, but when he swept his hand across the back he pulled out a bottle of unopened lube. John made to open the tube but before he could open it Punk snatched it out his hands, opening it up and coating his fingers in the slippery substance.

John made to spread his legs under Punk but Punk forced them back together with his deceptive thigh strength. Punk reached under his spread legs and John watched hungrily as Punk rode his own fingers, moaning when he found an especially sensitive spot. John could seriously watch this all day on any other occasion but right now he wanted to be inside Punk more than anything.

Punk finally halted the sensual torture that had inflamed both men and holding John's cock he slid down the length of him. Punk began moving slowly; barely enough to be even defined as friction, but just being inside the tight heat of Punk was enough to make John's heart speed up considerably. Punk began to move more steadily, bracing his palms on John's chest. John thought he was going to stroke out when Punk started adding little twists of his hips to his movements. When Punk's nails dug into John's chest and Punk moaned his name he knew that they had found Punk's sweet spot. Punk began sliding up and down his cock with more force and John joined in, arching his hips up to meet Punk's.

Both of their movements became erratic and John knew the end was in sight for both of them. He palmed Punk's cock in a tight grip and started stroking Punk furiously, wanting nothing more than to see Punk come. John was rewarded shortly when Punk's muscles locked up, coming all over John's chest. Punk's channel squeezed his cock so tightly when Punk came, sending John crashing headlong into his orgasm.

Punk leaned down to kiss John but John rolled him off to the other side of the bed.

"Hey! What the hell was that?"

"Well you did just cross over to my side of the bed and then seduced me you sex fiend. We're going to need that duct tape soon."

"Ha Ha, let me go get a towel to wipe you down."

John didn't exactly mind his chest being covered in Punk's come but he did have plans for the rest of the day.

Once he was cleaned off he pulled his clothes back on and threw Punk's in his direction.

"Come on, we're going out."

"To where?"

"Shopping. I need clothes and so do you."

"What do I need clothes for, I'm perfectly happy with the clothes I have now."

"That may be true but you'll need some to have on hand for when you're in Tampa. I've been meaning to move all my John Cena T-Shirts to a temperature controlled facility for a while now."

**December 5, 2011**

_Monday Night Raw_

John and Punk entered the arena in Tampa ready for the night's show after the few days off they had taken in Chicago. They made their way to the locker room, stopping a road agent on the way that let them know that they didn't have anything for them for Raw. Punk and John just rolled their eyes and proceeded to the locker room and changed into their gear. They had both grown used to Laurinaitis throwing out on the spot matches.

They were hanging out in the locker room when Otunga entered and walked up to John, "Mr. Laurinaitis would like you to go out to the ring to start the show, talking about the incident in Piper's Pit last week and the #1 Contendership."

After Otunga left John very reluctantly turned to look at Punk, having no idea what Punk might say about him being the #1 Contender to his title. John found he didn't have any need to worry; Punk was just smiling and shaking his head.

"You're not mad?"

"We're the best there is, it's not really a surprise that you're back on top again, but it also means that the match will be at TLC. I've won two Money in the Bank matches and you've never been in one ever. I'm pretty optimistic about my chances."

"It's lovely to see that CM Punk has made reappearance. I better get out there and face the audience. I'm sure your fans are going to attempt to tear the place apart when they find out I'm the #1 Contender. For once I'm not going to care if they boo me out the building because they'll be cheering for you instead."

John left for the arena entrance and Punk moved to the monitor bay to watch what John would do in the ring. He took a seat next to Zack and was joined by Randy and Daniel who were both unclear as to why they had been summoned to Raw. Punk had a sneaking suspicion that there was a lot more going on than anyone knew.

Punk watched as John came out to a mixed reaction. There were definitely quite a few Cena supporters in the audience but the vocal majority was against him and making themselves heard. John started out by talking about Piper's Pit and trying to put a positive spin on it, something that Punk didn't think was logically possible but trust John to try.

The second John mentioned Punk's victory over del Rio last week and asserted himself as the #1 Contender del Rio jumped up and headed for the arena entrance. It looked like John was going to have some company. Del Rio asserted that Punk had cheated, even though it was him that had exposed the turnbuckle. Del Rio said the next Championship match should be his.

That sentence had barely finished coming out of del Rio's mouth when Ziggler and Vickie jumped up and headed for the arena entrance as well. A minute later Vickie's shrill voice was filling the arena with Ziggler in tow behind her. Ziggler believed he should be #1 Contender because he was the US Champion and had a string of recent wins over big name stars, including Randy. He could feel the annoyance rolling off both Randy and Zack. John again brought up the fact that the only person Ziggler should be facing is Zack.

Out of the corner of his eye he saw Miz spring up from his seat and head toward the arena entrance as well. It seemed that the line forming behind John for a title shot was growing longer by the minute. Miz as well thought he should get the Championship match due to the fact that he had taken out both Truth and Morrison. With all four guys in the ring trying to argue their case it was turning into a farce. Punk had to admit that John was pretty much owning these pretenders to his title. This was when Punk really missed Melina. Randy was pissed about the ill-gotten win Ziggler had over him; Zack was practically vibrating out his seat seeing his chance at the US Title evaporating before him yet again and Daniel was injured and probably not in a very convivial mood. There was no one to mock the crazy that was going on in the ring with.

Punk was pretty entertained by the back and forth and the fact that none of these guys had approached him, the actual Champion, and asked for a match. Of course Laurinaitis had to come out and ruin the fun. Punk had a feeling that this situation was going to go from funny to fucked up in the space of a few minutes. He was proved right when del Rio, Ziggler and Miz were offered a chance at his title at TLC if they could beat the Smackdown roster members that were in attendance that night which explained the presence of Randy and Daniel. That was confirmed when a road agent approached Randy and said he was needed at the arena entrance because he would be facing Miz.

John wasn't made the same offer as the others and then Laurinaitis said John would be participating in some sort of social experiment, which didn't sound good at all. Punk was pissed off further when he found out he would have to endure yet another useless contract signing.

He watched as Miz beat Randy by count out due to interference from Barrett. That was one person he could be taking on at TLC and del Rio made it two when he beat Daniel.

The hits just kept on coming when Zack was summoned to appear in Laurinaitis' office. It showed up on the screen with Zack, in his usual crazy way, saying he deserved a title match due to his online petition. Punk almost fell out of his chair when John appeared wearing the Zack Ryder wig and sunglasses they sold at the merch tables. John found out he would be facing Zack. If Zack won he would be given a US Title match but if John won he would be included in the Championship match at TLC. Punk didn't take off to find John knowing he had to let John and Zack work this out between themselves. Although Punk was considering hunting down Laurinaitis and kicking him in the head for putting his boyfriend and someone who he was quickly considering a friend in a match together when they were such close friends and the stakes were so high for both of them.

The only upside so far is when they showed Otunga informing Nash that he would be taking on Triple H at TLC in a Sledgehammer Ladder match. Since Punk was pretty sure Nash couldn't climb a ladder he was looking forward to Triple H bashing Nash's head in with a sledgehammer.

During the Divas match another one of those creepy promos cut into show, this one was called, "Look within." It also showed one of the creepiest little girls that Punk had seen since The Shining.

John's match against Zack was next. Punk could tell that John was taking it a little easy on Zack but eventually instinct took over and John pinned Zack after an AA. Cole was briefly shown talking out of his ass but it later cut to Laurinaitis' office with John still breathing heavily from his match. Punk watched aghast as John surrendered his place in the TLC Championship match so that Zack could have one more match to try to get the US Title Match against Ziggler that he rightly deserved.

Ryder was soon back in the ring waiting for his opponent which turned out to be Mark Henry in a match that would be no disqualifications and no count outs. John would probably be pissed that he gave up his chance at the title for Zack to get dismantled by Henry. It didn't turn out like that when John took advantage of the stipulations, AA-ing Henry and getting Zack his US Title match at TLC.

It was finally time for Ziggler's match against Sheamus which he lost due to Zack showing up at ringside and distracting him. Now his opponents at TLC were set but TLC was two weeks away and this was the WWE, anything could happen in two weeks. The contract signing was soon upon him, Punk joining Laurinaitis, del Rio, Rodriguez and Miz in the ring. After mocking Laurinaitis for a while as usual, Laurinaitis announced that the match would be a Tables, Ladders and Chairs match which didn't surprise Punk in the slightest. It was the perfect match for him and his opponents; after all, all three of them had won Money in the Bank matches. TLC wasn't going to be a cake walk.

The difference between the three men was obvious. Del Rio and Miz were in suits and he was in his wrestling gear. He started to tear down del Rio and Miz. Miz tried to cut in with a few jabs, and while Punk had to admit Miz was competent on the mic, he was really no competition for him. Miz tried to talk himself up as the man who took out Morrison and Truth.

"You took them out. You mean on a date? Considering the way you're dressed and that faux hawk of yours, I'm going to guess that you took them to see that new Twilight flick."

And that shut Miz the hell up quickly but Punk was quickly back on the defensive when that asshole Laurinaitis took the opportunity to "future endeavor" John on world-wide TV. He was dying to kick that smirk off his face. Del Rio jumped in and as usual bored the hell out of him and the fans.

"Please, if you say it's your destiny, I swear to jeebus I'm going to start drinking."

Finally all three of them signed the contract but then Laurinaitis requested the stupidest thing he had ever heard, and that was saying something, he wanted them all to take a picture together. He was a wrestler, he didn't do photo ops. Punk decided to bring this moronic contract signing to a close by starting a brawl that ended with him bulldog-ing del Rio through a table and then hitting Miz with the GTS, Miz landing on top of del Rio.

Punk started celebrating with his title with Laurinaitis watching on from the top of the ramp. When Punk was walking back up the ramp and the adrenaline was ebbing away Punk realized that his hand was throbbing. When he got backstage he quickly stripped the wrapping off his left hand and saw that it was starting to swell. This couldn't be happening to him. He tried to ignore the pain and went to the locker room and changed into his street clothes. John was waiting for him outside the locker room. He knew he needed to go home and ice it but he didn't want John to get worried and start mothering him.

When they got back to John's house he sat back and watched as John tore his house apart needlessly making more room than was necessary for Punk's meager belongings although the gigantic pile of John's WWE rainbow colored merch piled on the floor was pretty entertaining. It would have been much funnier if Punk's hand hadn't been throbbing like a son of a bitch. He took some aspirin while he was in the bathroom away from John's perceptive gaze that greatly reduced the pain in his hand. He was sure when he woke up his hand would be back to normal.

_AN: Thank you for all the great reviews, they are my crack._


	4. Chapter 4

**December 6, 2011**

Punk awoke to a numb feeling in his hand. He tried to pull it toward him but it wouldn't move. He looked up to find John looking at him with a stern expression, holding a bag of ice on his hand.

"You can really be a dumbass sometimes," John said with only a slight inflection of humor in his tone.

"I thought it might be better in the morning."

John removed the ice and gingerly lifted Punk's had so he could take a good look at it.

"Does it look any better?"

"Well…"

"Well, what?"

"It actually looks worse."

"Get up, get your clothes on, we're going to the hospital to get this checked out."

"Do I have to?"

"Yes you damn well have to. I may be your competition from time to time but first and foremost I'm your boyfriend and you don't have to be sneaky and try to hide things like this from me. We're going to the hospital and that's final."

Punk and John arrived at the ER and after an interminable wait Punk finally got his hand x-rayed. When the doc put the x-rays up on the board Punk burst out laughing and the doc looked at him like he had gone insane.

"Your hand has a small fracture. It's small enough that we don't need to cast it. Just keep it wrapped up and it'll be as good as new in a few weeks. The swelling should go down in a few days. I can prescribe you some painkillers."

"No thanks, but I'm a professional wrestler, can I wrestle with it like this?"

"It will be painful if you fall on it."

"But I can't damage it anymore than it already is…"

"No. Are you sure you don't want some painkillers?"

"Positive. Can I get copies of the x-rays to show the trainer so that he'll clear me to compete?"

"No problem. Just go back to the waiting room and someone will bring them out to you."

Punk went back to the waiting room where John was waiting.

"Well?"

"It's just a small fracture. They're not even going to cast it. It'll be better in a few weeks."

"But TLC is in two weeks!"

"I can fight through the pain; we've all done it before."

They waited until a nurse brought the x-ray films out. Punk thumbed through the films until he found the one he was looking for.

"Check this out!"

"The hell! Were you and the doctor playing shadow puppets in there or something?"

"I was going to try to hide the injury but this is too hilarious not to post on twitter."

"Go ahead and amuse your followers at my expense."

The film showed Punk's thumb and forefinger touching and the other three fingers spread out. It was an exact replica of the sign John threw up when he entered the ring.

**December 10, 2011**

Punk was lucky that there was only one house show before Raw on Monday so he had time to rest his hand. The other hand had been busy enough though with autograph signings and appearances for the last four days. John had been constantly mothering him which should have annoyed him to no end but for some reason it just gave him a warm feeling inside which was definitely not in the CM Punk range of acceptable emotions.

The second they had reached the locker room John had run off, leaving Punk to get ready for his match against del Rio, wrapping his hand up with gauze over the bandage. He doubted that del Rio followed his twitter posts and maybe he hadn't gotten wind of his relatively minor injury.

John returned to the locker room looking very self-satisfied.

"I just go out of my match and into yours."

"What!"

"I can keep del Rio off you for some of the time so your injury doesn't get any more aggravated than it has to."

"Okay, I didn't mind you Florence Nightingale-ing me but this is really one step too far. I can take del Rio all on my own."

"I'm just trying to help."

"By making me feel helpless?"

"I really thought you would be okay with this."

"Well I'm not. Don't expect me to take a backseat to you in the ring so it looks like you're fighting my battles for me which I am more than capable of handling on my own."

If John was expecting Punk to let John lead the charge in the match he quickly found out he was extremely mistaken. Del Rio was pinned by Punk after a GTS in the shortest match the two men had ever had. Punk was in a fiery mood as John learned very early in the match.

"Well, you turned out to be completely unhelpful in the ring."

"No joke. That was probably because you kicked me in the head, threw me outside the ring and the proceeded to suicide dive me sending me barreling in the barricade."

"You're not hurt are you?"

"No, but I'm going to have one hell of a headache."

"I hope that kick to the head knocked some sense into you."

"Consider the message delivered but you have to know that if something like this occurs again I'll probably do the exact same thing."

"What the hell am I going to do with you?"

"Take me back to the hotel and teach me a lesson?"

**December 12, 2011**

_Monday Night Raw_

John practically had to drag Punk by the hair to get him into the Norfolk Scope. Punk couldn't think of anything more boring than having to sit through three hours of an awards show. It was all a little too red carpet for his tastes. At least he was scheduled for a match, teaming with Randy against Miz and del Rio. John had pulled a definite low card in having to deal with Mark Henry in the main event. The only thing that was going to save this night was the annual Slammy Awards Sports Book that turned the backstage area into pure chaos. The monitor bay became something that resembled a back alley dice game. The Sammy's were for the fans because the only gold that anyone cared about in the back was what could be worn around your waist.

Although gambling was a major straight edge no-no, Punk allowed this lapse each year because it was all for fun, the bets never exceeding a dollar or two, and no one was going to get their legs broken if they failed to pay up. It turned a mind-numbingly boring evening into something that at least passed the three hours that usually showcased as little wrestling as possible. If the winner of an award was indeed present in the room when the award was announced they were the victim of a avalanche of dollar bills being thrown at them and calls of "making it rain" being yelled by the crowd. Punk found this part of the tradition especially hilarious considering that if they took away the violence from their workplace it would closely resemble a strip club considering their uniform required them to compete barely clothed.

He was pretty positive he had Pipe bomb of the Year in the bag, who the hell else would they give the Slammy to when he had coined the phrase personally. He had slipped a backstage tech $500 to set something up for him and when he tried to pay the guys in the production truck they wouldn't take his money, happy enough to do what he asked for free.

The show began and the wild ruckus ensued. He was sitting next to Randy, making bets while discussing their match later in the show. John was on his other side caught up in the amusing distraction that was the yearly tradition. He turned to smile at John but he was looking over his shoulder like he could kill someone with a mere glance. A set of hands wrapped around his head, the hands covering his eyes.

"Hey you," was whispered into his ear and then he felt a kiss on his cheek. He removed the hands blocking his vision and then desperately wished he could put them back. Anything to not see John looking like he was seconds away from strangling someone.

"Lita, hey, how have you been?" Punk asked, very uncomfortable with the situation he found himself in.

"Better now that I get to see my favorite Straight Edge Superstar," Lita said sultrily, taking a seat in Punk's lap and wrapping her hands around his neck. He saw John jump up and stalk out of the room. Punk pulled Lita's arms from around him and moved Lita to the seat next to him.

"Randy, would you mind…"

"Hell yes I mind. That's all on you Straight Edge Superstar," Randy responded, laughing so hard that he almost fell out of his chair.

"I'm glad you find this so hilarious, see if I have your back in the ring tonight."

"What's…" but Lita was cut off by a shout from across the room.

"Punk, they're doing Pipe bomb of the Year!" Zack yelled from the center of the gambling fray.

"That's my cue. See you later Lita…you too backstabbing traitor," the latter directed at his tag team partner for the night.

Punk hurried to the arena entrance, hoping like hell that no one was following him. The production tech in the gorilla position nodded at him, "I'm pretty sure this one is all you, I'm cueing up your music…" but whatever the tech was going to say was cut off when he looked over Punk's shoulder with a highly confused look on his face. Punk was afraid to turn around.

"Punk, I've got your…thing," the backstage tech handing him a mannequin wearing a "Dynamic Dudes" t-shirt and a crazy blonde wig.

"It's perfect. Good job!"

"I don't think you paid me enough, the rest of the guys were looking at me like I've lost my mind."

Punk's response was cut off when Jesse James announced him as the winner. Punk walked out into the arena, toting the half-dressed mannequin with him, Road Dogg handing him the Slammy and walking off cracking up laughing.

Punk began talking in a serious tone about recognizing someone from the back whose achievements have gone unnoticed. Punk continued in the same tone, beginning the litany of insults that could only describe John Laurinaitis. Punk gestured to the big screen where the video that the production guys had made up began playing, with cheesy 80's music as a soundtrack. As Punk watched the video he tried hard not to laugh his ass off, those guys in the truck must really hate Laurinaitis to put something like this together.

He was still chuckling when the video ended, "Well unfortunately Johnny couldn't be here to accept this award, he's watching Point Break in the back wishing he was Patrick Swayze. So I graciously accept this award on his behalf and say this just as he would," and then with his best Laurinaitis impersonation, "You like me, you really like me!" and Punk left the stage with his mannequin and Slammy in tow.

Punk returned backstage and was surprised to see Hunter standing just beyond the entrance.

"Hey, what are you doing here?"

"Well, I'm definitely not here to make an ass out of myself on worldwide television."

"Come on, that was hilarious, and who are you to talk with your obsession with dressing up midgets as your competition."

"Point taken. I'm here to collect my Slammy award of course."

"How do you know you're going to win?"

"This isn't the Oscars. The results weren't sitting in a bank vault somewhere. Have I been gone so long you've forgotten who my wife is?"

"Point taken. Go get your Slammy and while you're at it put the fear of God into Nash."

"That motherfucker doesn't need to fear God, he needs to fear me."

"Right, well, you go do that. Me and my friend here are going back to the monitor bay."

Punk was halfway back to the bay when he felt himself jerked into a room. John locked the door and then pinned Punk's shoulders to the door the mannequin and Slammy clattering to the floor.

"What the fuck was that!"

"The thing with the mannequin…" Punk said warily.

"You're not blonde so stop acting like one. You know damn well that I'm talking about that slut draping herself all over you."

"You know she's one of my ex's and I didn't invite that…"

"You invite that all the time with your pretty thighs and your pert ass," John said darkly, spinning Punk around until his front was pressed against the door. "You should remember that all those things belong to me, maybe you need something to remind you of that."

Punk felt his shorts and his trunks being pulled down to his ankles, his legs being forced as far apart as they would go constrained by his clothing. He heard John's clothes hit the floor behind him and then John's body was pressing him against the door, his already hard cock pressing into the small of his back. John's grabbed a fistful of his hair, yanking his head to one side and biting down viciously on the spot below his ear that always made him crazy with want.

"John, please…"

"Oh, there's begging now, I think you can do better than that," and John slammed into him, thrusting viciously without any preparation whatsoever. It had been a while since John was so rough with him and Punk found that he was fucking gagging for it.

"Please, John please, fuck me…"

John continued to pound into him and Punk couldn't help but moan John's name over and over again.

"You moan like a whore, is that what you are?"

"Your…whore…"

"Yes you fucking are," and John started thrusting faster, his fingers clutching Punk's hips and digging in with bruising force. John began thrusting erratically, coming deep inside Punk. John spun Punk around to face him, gripping Punk by his hair and kissing him fiercely, eventually pulling away with one last bite. John's hand slid up Punk's leg, running his fingers through the come that was sliding down Punk's thigh. He brought his hand up to Punk's mouth, coating his lower lip with the wetness.

"You know what this means? It means you belong to me."

Punk sucked his lower lip into his mouth and nodded vigorously. His cock was hard and aching, trapped between their bodies. He couldn't control his hips as he rocked against John, his cock rubbing against John's abs, desperate for any sort of friction. John's hands gripped his hips, stilling the motion.

"Do you really think…"

"John, please, please touch me," Punk whimpered.

"Seeing you so wrecked, your mouth swollen, your eyes glazed over, your hair completely wild, I just can't help myself," John said, his hand slipping between their bodies, gripping Punk's cock firmly, Punk coming between them after a few rough strokes.

John stepped back from Punk's body, but Punk threw himself at John, wrapping his arms around his neck and kissing him furiously. John leaned his head back out of Punk's range.

"We have matches…"

"We'll forfeit."

"Superstar of the Year…"

"They can keep it."

John seemed to have run out of arguments and dove back in, kissing Punk ardently.

"Punk! Where the hell are you!"

"Fucking Randy," Punk said miserably, his head banging against the door.

"We'll continue this later…" John said heatedly. "Randy, give us a second."

"Oh Jesus Christ," they heard Randy curse on the other side of the door.

John quickly cleaned themselves off with his shirt; both men reluctantly pulling their clothes back on and opened the door.

"Great, now he's going to be fucking useless in the ring now," Randy said, shaking his head and rolling his eyes at the sight before him.

"I'll be fine," Punk said, slicking his hair back into place. Punk quickly pecked a now shirtless John on the lips, leaving his Slammy in John's posession and followed Randy to the arena entrance.

When they got there Christian was out presenting the "Game Changer of the Year" award and announced that the winner was the Rock challenging John to a match at WrestleMania. Seconds later John rushed past them, pulling a fresh t-shirt over his head.

Punk and Randy watched as John mocked the Rock in his politest boy scout tone, "What? What do you mean he's not here? He said he would never leave, he said he was back, wait, get Brian his assistant, he's backstage. He's not backstage? I don't believe you. Wait, my mistake. There are many times when the Rock is busy so he sends us messages via satellite. We don't have a clip? I apologize on behalf of Team Bring It for not bringing it."

John returned from the stage with the award dangling in his hand but his eyes were on Punk's.

"Jesus John, can you stop eyefucking him for a minute; we actually have a match that we have to go out there and win!"

John just smiled, his dimples popping, and walked away.

When Punk and Randy entered the arena they acted wary of each other because as far as the audience went, it wasn't that long ago since they were trying to beat the hell out of each other. Miz and del Rio were constantly double-teaming Randy, keeping him down on their side of the ring. Randy eventually tagged Punk in with him lighting up both del Rio and Miz until he too was double-teamed and found himself in the same position that Randy had been in. He needed to tag Randy in but watched as Randy was attacked my Barrett and his match suddenly became a handicap match. Miz took advantage of Punk in his beat down state and pinned him after a Skull Crushing Finale.

Punk tried to get up but Miz and del Rio continued to beat him down long after the bell hand rung. He saw them bringing a ladder into the ring and he knew he was in trouble. The proceeded to brutally attack him with the ladder. Punk eventually made his way backstage and found the trainer waiting for him. He was going to be checked out whether he wanted to be or not. Punk felt like he had been in the training room for hours, every bit of him being checked over.

He eventually walked back into the locker room to find everyone silent, staring at John.

"Okay, what the hell did I miss?"

"Kane's back," John said, obviously leaving something out.

"And…"

"He choke slammed me," John said, trailing off at the end.

"Aw, hell…"


	5. Chapter 5

**December 13, 2011**

_Tribute to the Troops_

Immediately following Raw the twenty or so roster members that were competing at Tribute to the Troops took a short chartered flight to Fayetteville so that they could be at Fort Bragg first thing in the morning. While performing for the troops was a rewarding experience, it was the day of the show that was the most fun. The troops took the roster on helicopter rides, ill-advisedly let them handle weapons, and this year they invited a small group to do a tandem skydive. This was one of the times Punk used his status as Champion to make sure he was on the list of those who got to parachute. John was content to hang around with the troops and play with firearms.

Punk was joined by, very surprisingly, del Rio and Cody Rhodes, along with Kofi and Eve. Del Rio looked decidedly sick when he found out that they would be jumping from 13,500 feet. The jump from the plane was exhilarating and Punk just wanted to turn around and do it again. Shooting off machine guns seemed bland after that experience. He joined the rest of the roster, hanging out with the troops for the rest of the day.

They eventually had to report to the hangar where they were filming the show and the roster changed into their gear in the makeshift locker room. For once everyone was crowded into one room which meant he had to change in close quarters with people like Miz and del Rio. The only reason a fight didn't break out was because they all believed what they were doing was important even if they were sharing the stage with the insufferable Nickelback. Punk was scheduled in the main event, teaming with Show and John against Henry, Miz and del Rio. Punk decided that the troops deserved something special and conspired with the Show to give them something worth seeing.

There was no monitor bay set up for the event so the roster just hung around the back and socialized, getting reports of the matches second hand. It was finally time for his match and he, John, and Show walked to the entrance just as their opponents were entering the ring. All three men seemed to be keeping their usual asshole antics to themselves for once. He and Show entered first, John entered the arena last to thunderous applause; the troops were his guys through and through.

His team was having a hell of a good time in the ring. The exchanges between him and John were hilarious, although at one point he forgot he was no longer the legal man in the ring and both he and John tried to cover Miz at the same time. When they were not in the ring they made sure to keep the crowd amped up.

He was sure the other side was not purposely trying to be comical but it seemed like none of them were particularly eager to get into the ring tonight. The tags usually came when a team mate wasn't paying attention, the tags being delivered to any random body part in reach, having to enter the match against their will.

They pretty much owned their opponents and the crowd went wild when Punk climbed onto the shoulders of Show and performed a flying elbow on Miz. He locked in the Anaconda Vice which del Rio broke up before Miz could tap. Punk was briefly at the mercy of Henry but managed to counter the World's Strongest Slam and tag in John. John performed his usual move set but the crowd could care less, John Cena was their man.

Sensing defeat del Rio, Miz, and Henry all entered he ring only to be met by the finishing maneuvers of his team. Punk was well aware of John's strength but it was still amazing when he managed to AA Henry to get the win. Their team celebrated the win in the ring with the crowd. Punk and Show exited the ring and stood with the rest of the roster at the head of the ramp while John gave one of his patented John Cena speeches. While Punk usually found these speeches to be rather corny, he couldn't deny the heartfelt thanks John was conveying to the troops from the WWE as a whole.

After returning to their hotel room he and John finally took the time to try and figure out what the hell happened out in the ring with Kane the night before. Mark Henry had been right there, the man who had injured Kane in the first place, yet he choose to attack John instead. They were both mystified. Punk was further incensed when he found out that he had won Superstar of the Year and Laurinaitis had accepted it on his behalf. He was sure that after his stunt at the Slammy's that was one trophy that he would be getting back in pieces.

**December 17, 2011**

John and Punk were living in a state of permanent confusion. It had started when a road agent had approached John and informed him that he wasn't needed for the press appearances prior to TLC because he would not be involved in the pay-per-view at all. Punk could only deduce that Laurinaitis had gone off the deep end. While John wasn't exactly beloved by the fans these days, he still had a very large fan base that would definitely oppose their hero being sidelined at TLC. Punk wanted to be the face of the WWE but he didn't think that completely eliminating John from the event was the way to go.

The inexplicable intentions of Kane continued through the next week at the two house shows. Kane had interfered in John's matches, attacking John again and again with no explanation. Kane didn't seem like he would be giving voice to his reasons for attacking John anytime soon which was making John pretty jumpy. The only time he calmed down was when they were alone in the safety of their hotel room. Punk knew that this would not be a permanent condition. John Cena couldn't be held down for long and Kane should expect a confrontation sooner rather than later.

**December 18, 2011**

_Tables, Ladders and Chairs_

Even though TLC wasn't considered a main pay-per-view Punk thought that it had much more major implications than the more recent pay-per-views. Zack would finally be getting his US Title match against Ziggler, Show looked poised to win the Heavyweight Championship, and Punk was damn well going to retain his title. The only downside of the night was John's absence. He had tagged along to Baltimore but elected to remain in their hotel room, watching the PPV from there. Punk knew John couldn't bear to be in the arena while he didn't have a match and there was no explanation given as to why.

The show began with Zack taking on Ziggler for the US Title. The majority of the roster excitedly watched as Zack won the title that he had been lobbying so long to get a chance at. Zack returned to the monitor bay to raucous applause, Zack running around like a madman with the title held high over his head. The night improved even more when Randy defeated Barrett, putting him through a table with an amazing mid-air RKO. Punk watched with glee as Triple H gained control of the sledgehammer and beat Nash so badly he had to be carried off on a stretcher.

The night continued as Show beat Mark Henry for the Heavyweight title. While the actual wrestling wasn't exactly stellar Punk was glad for Show who had helped him get the rematch from del Rio at Survivor Series. The roster was surprised when Henry recovered quickly from the WMD that Show had delivered and began to beat him down with a chair. What really shocked the room was when Daniel jumped up from his seat, briefcase in hand, and took off at a run towards the arena entrance. Punk watched the screen as Henry DDT'd Show on a chair.

Henry rolled out of the ring just as Daniel's music blared through the arena, Daniel ran into the ring and cashed in his briefcase, pinning Show and becoming World Heavyweight Champion. While Show was somewhat of a friend, he had known Daniel for years and while he had immeasurable success in ROH, Daniel had finally risen to become a Champion in the WWE. Punk was even happier when Daniel leapt onto the announce table screaming at a stricken Michael Cole who had been denigrating Daniel on a regular basis.

In the course of a few hours the state of the WWE had changed entirely. He was a fan of Pin Up Strong because both Natalya and Beth could probably out-wrestle quite a few of the men on the roster. While he wasn't exactly a fan of Cody Rhodes, he would much rather see some new blood hold the title than a has been like Booker T who would be better served staying behind the announce table. He kept his preference quiet and as Rhodes won the match Punk reflected on the title picture of the WWE. When he retained his belt all the gold in the WWE would be held by people that could be considered the future of the WWE.

Punk was optimistic heading into his match against Miz and del Rio. Punk had given up his belt to a backstage tech earlier in the night to be hoisted above the ring for his match. He was eager to get his belt back and around his waist where it belonged. Punk entered the ring after del Rio and Miz and was greeted with deafening applause. He walked under one of the ladders set up along the ramp, luck, even bad luck, was still for losers.

Miz and del Rio's détente seemed to continue as they worked together to put Punk out of commission. Although in pain, Punk couldn't help but laugh as that partnership broke down minutes later. Being that it was a TLC match the action moved to ringside where the weapons were spread about everywhere and were well-used. Punk was getting frustrated as he would get one of his opponents down only to be faced by an attack from the other. He took those frustrations out of Miz beating him viciously with a chair, and then using the same chair, set it up and gave Miz his patented high knee, sending him flying into the first few rows of ringside.

Both Miz and del Rio were down outside the ring so Punk took his opportunity and set a ladder up in the ring. He was climbing when he felt his arm being yanked, preventing him from going any higher. Rodriguez had grabbed ahold of his arm. While Punk was considering what Rodriguez deserved for his interference he felt something snap around his wrist. He looked down at the handcuff and heard a second click when Rodriguez cuffed him to the ladder. Punk panicked for a moment. He was unable to defend himself when del Rio entered the ring, taking the time to deliver a series of kicks to his body before trying to climb the ladder. Punk looked around wildly until he finally directed his attention to what was restraining him. Punk kicked the hell out of the supports holding the legs of the ladder together and freed himself. He was still stuck wearing handcuffs but with the other cuff in his hand it was the equivalent of brass knuckles.

Of course, just when he had taken care of del Rio who he tossed to the outside, Miz showed up. He had Miz on the top rope for a superplex when del Rio came from nowhere, kicking him in the head, sending him flying from the top rope and instead of the ground, Punk fell through a table. He was stunned and couldn't get his body to obey his mind and get the fuck up. Hopefully del Rio and Miz could keep each other occupied until he was able to get his body to function again.

Punk finally recovered and returned to the ring, seeing Miz entering from the other side. Punk and Miz tipped the ladder del Rio was on, sending him to straddle the top rope. For some reason, Rodriguez began to climb the ladder; he and Miz tipped the ladder again, sending Rodriguez through a table at ringside.

He and Miz finally locked up. Miz was in the corner and Punk tried to spear him, but Miz moved at the last second, Punk slamming his shoulder into the ringpost. Miz ran at him, but instead of hitting him, Punk felt a tug on his wrist for the second time that night. Miz had cuffed him to the turnbuckle. He hadn't even noticed that the cuff had opened. What the fuck kind of cuffs were these! Of course, as much as he tried, he couldn't get the cuffs to open for him. Miz stood just out of arm's reach and mocked him, Punk trying over and over to take a swipe at his smirking face. Miz didn't even see it coming when Punk kicked the head off his shoulders and fell to the canvas.

Punk turned his attention to the turnbuckle he was cuffed to. He uncovered the turnbuckle to reveal the metal mechanisms. He kicked at them with no effect. In his indie days he had helped set rings up and take them down and knew that it couldn't be done with bare hands but it didn't stop him from trying. Punk struggled with the turnbuckle while he saw Miz recovering and del Rio entering the ring. Finally it budged and he began unscrewing it as fast as he could, watching del Rio and Miz both start to climb the ladder. The turnbuckle finally gave, collapsing the center rope and freeing Punk. He rushed to the ladder, all three men trying to get to the belt.

Punk rammed Miz's head into the ladder, sending him falling to the ground. After two well-placed kicks to the head del Rio followed Miz falling back to the canvas. Punk climbed the ladder and retrieved his belt. He sat perched on top of the ladder while the crowd went wild. He looked down at his wrist, to the cuff that had caused him so much trouble, and there it was, open again. What was it with these fucking handcuffs! He tried to cuff himself to the belt, to ensure that the title wasn't going anywhere but it wouldn't work. He had to settle for holding the title above his head.

After celebrating he returned backstage to find Daniel and Zack waiting for him. They all hugged, Zack then snapping a picture of him and Daniel. They had both come so far from their beginnings in the indies. No one would have ever believed that they would both be sitting atop the WWE. Zack took off and minutes later returned with Evan, Kofi, Beth and even Cody. It was probably easy to bring Beth along as she would take any chance to show off her dominance but Punk had no idea how he managed to get Cody to come along. Zack probably threatened to dog his every step until he agreed.

Zack handed his camera to a tech and they were all posed to take a photo together. No matter their personal feelings and current alignments they were ushering in a new era in the WWE.

* * *

><p>John waited impatiently for Punk to return to the hotel room. He greeted him like the conquering hero he was and laid a kiss on him of epic proportions. Punk's hands were roaming all over any body part he could reach and whimpered when John reluctantly pulled back, looking down at Punk's waist.<p>

"Are you going to wear that belt all night?" John asked, his growing erection had been rubbing against the metal around Punk's waist and it was pretty painful.

"Possibly. I may also choose to wear the belt and nothing else."

"I'm sure if you used that as your autograph photo all my female fans would defect."

"And then all you would be left with are fans that still have a bedtime."

John watched as Punk stepped around him, throwing the belt aside and lying down on the bed, smiling invitingly.

"I have won the battle and I'm here to collect my spoils of war."

John quickly took his clothes off, finally joining Punk in bed, draping his body over Punk's, continuing the mind-numbing kiss that he had greeted him with at the door. Punk rolled on top of him, sliding his hands up his side, and anchoring his arms over his head, holding him there with one hand while the other cradled his face.

John knew he could pull free any second if he wished but he was willing to go along with the game. Punk's hand left his face and John eagerly awaited where Punk's roving hands would fall next. That's when John heard the click. He looked up to see one wrist cuffed to the slats in the headboard. He moved to pull his other arm out of range but Punk used both his arms to force his wrist back down to the bed and John heard the second cuff click into place.

"Phil…" John growled, jerking at the cuffs holding him in place.

"What? You can drag me into a random storage closet and give me the fucking of a lifetime but I can't return the favor?"

John couldn't deny that when he saw Punk in handcuffs at TLC this wasn't the scenario he had envisioned. He was now laid out on the bed with a lapful of Punk who was looking at him like he was something to eat.

Punk just smiled wickedly and stood up on the bed obviously taking in the scene with relish. He began stripping off his clothes slowly. The vision of Punk's naked body and no means to lay his hands on all that soft skin was driving him slowly toward madness and Punk hadn't even touched him yet. Punk finally kneeled down next to him and began trailing his fingers lightly over his skin from the hollow of his throat, stopping just shy of his groin. This gentle exploration continued for some time, his skin heating up more with every pass. While this hadn't been in his plans the plans for tonight, John found himself aching with anticipation at being at the complete mercy of Punk.

John sighed in relief when Punk replaced his hands with his mouth, kissing his neck from one side to the other. Punk dipped his tongue into the hollow of his throat, sucking the skin into his mouth. Punk moved to his collar bone, scraping his teeth over the thin layer of skin. The kisses continued down the midline of his chest, again stopping shy of his groin. Punk explored his muscled abdomen, taking his time to outline every muscle. John felt like his skin was ready to ignite when Punk dragged his tongue over the V outline of his stomach.

Punk slid further down the bed, spreading John's legs wider so he could bite down firmly on the muscle that connected his groin to his upper thigh. The other side was given the same treatment and Punk continued down his leg until reaching his ankle and then working his way back up the other leg. After the sensual torture of Punk kissing every inch of his body, John's cock was leaking precome, it sliding down the shaft. Punk ran his finger up the length of him, catching the liquid on his finger, sucking it into his mouth and moaning.

Punk moved to straddle John's hips, John looking forward to the weight of Punk's body settling on his but Punk did not sink down all the way, hovering just shy of John's groin. John watched heatedly as Punk wrapped his hand around his cock, jerking himself off firmly, his free hand trailing over his body as he moaned John's name over and over. John appreciated the view but he would much rather his hands be the one's making Punk moan like that. John watched raptly as Punk got himself off, his come splattering John chest.

Punk leaned down and John lifted his head for a kiss but Punk veered off at the last second whispering in John's ear, "Hands and Knees."

Fortunately the long chain between the cuffs allowed for the change in position, and John practically dislocated his wrists trying to move quickly into the position that Punk had demanded. Punk continued his earlier actions of bestowing kisses upon every inch of skin. John felt Punk's cock prod his entrance, Punk brutally slamming into him, taking him hard and fast. Punk had never been this rough with him before. Punk didn't even need the handcuffs, John would have submitted to this treatment gladly. His moans were so loud he was sure the neighbors could hear.

Punk's hands had a bruising hold on John's hips, jerking them back with every one of his strokes. The movement was testing the strength of the handcuffs, the metal biting into his skin, the pain only amplifying the pleasure. John wrapped his hands around the slats of the bed, desperate for anything to hold on to. Punk pulled his hips back with a particularly vicious thrust and John felt the wood give, freeing his hands but John didn't dare move them, not wanting Punk to stop what he was doing to him.

"Phil, please, touch me…"

John moaned in relief when Punk's hand wrapped around his cock, jerking him off at the same frenzied pace of his thrusts. John felt his stomach tightening and he came, coating Punk's hand in wetness, Punk fucking him through his orgasm. Punk delivered a few more thrusts, coming deep inside him.

His limbs finally gave, Punk's body falling on top of his. John could feel his racing heart in time with Punk's against his back. Both men remained in that position as they came down from their high. Punk eventually rolled off of John, John rolling with him, looping his still cuffed hands around Punk's neck and kissing him soundly.

After a while Punk sat up, "Let me go get the key, I had to storm the trainer's room and shake Rodriguez until the key came loose" and Punk got up and retrieved the key from his pants. He knelt over John, opening the cuff on John's left wrist. Punk watched in surprise as John took the cuff in hand and clicked it shut over one of the slats that were still intact. Punk unlocked the other cuff, John again recuffing himself. John wrapped his legs around Punk's waist, pulling Punk's body back against his own.

"I want more."

By the end of the night there wasn't a single slat intact.

_AN: Finally, TLC! The last scene has been kicking around in my head since the second Punk was cuffed for the first time at TLC. Hope you enjoy and thanks for all the reviews that have sent me on an updating tear this past week. Now it's time to deal with this Kane/John thing which I am at a loss on how to write and I'm practically breaking into hives over here with the Punk injury rumors floating around the internet today. In other words, unless the inspiration fairy visits tonight the next update may take awhile._


	6. Chapter 6

**December 19, 2011**

_Monday Night Raw_

"Oh my God, fuck me!"

John stuck his head out of the bathroom at Punk's exclamation, "That doesn't sound like a request."

"It's not, I feel like I've been run over by a bus."

"The aftermath of TLC, nothing is worse than that except maybe a trip to the Elimination Chamber."

"You aren't fucking kidding. I need some aspirin or I'm going to die."

"You seemed pretty spry last night. I'm pretty sure I'm going to be walking with a limp today."

"Must have been the adrenaline or something."

"Poor baby. Let me get you those aspirin," John said, leaning down to kiss Punk lightly on the mouth. John pulled away but Punk grasped him by his wrists, turning them over to look at the livid marks that circled John's wrists.

"Those look like they hurt," Punk said, rubbing his thumbs lightly over the raised marks.

"I could care less when it was so much fun getting them. You're lucky I wear wristbands."

John reluctantly pulled his hands from Punk's, found the aspirin and water, bringing it to Punk who was still lying in bed.

"How's your hand?"

"Compared to the rest of me, not so bad."

"Take these and then go take a hot shower, it should ease the pain a bit. We've got to get downstairs soon for the flight to Philadelphia."

Punk quickly showered and walked back into the room and was taken aback when his eyes fell on the wreck they had made of the headboard.

"What are we going to do about that?" Punk asked, jerking his head towards the bed.

"I went downstairs while you were still asleep and paid the manager a very large sum of money to replace the bed and keep quiet. I can just imagine what would be flying around the internet if it got out that we destroyed our hotel bed."

They gathered their things and stepped out into the hallway. Kofi and Evan were standing in front of the elevator and turned when the door shut behind them. Kofi's eyes widened comically and Evan burst out laughing, punching Kofi in the arm.

"Dammit, now I owe you fifty bucks!"

Kofi continued to stare.

"Boy are you guys loud! It was like watching porn with the surround sound on. Kofi had to sleep with his headphones on."

"And what? You stayed up all night and listened?" Punk said, a blush taking over Evan's face as he stared at Punk.

"Well…"

"You…" John pointed at Evan, "Stop picturing my boyfriend naked. And both of you…do not even dare think of spreading this around."

"Who would we tell that doesn't already suspect something anyway, you two are way too close to be just friends, not to mention that you two disappear off together from time to time and when you come back you always look like you been…"

"Evan, please, stop while you're ahead before John becomes unhinged and tries to kill you."

"I'm just saying…"

"Say nothing or there's a chance blood might be spilled."

The elevator dinged and all four men got on the elevator.

"Wait…what was this bet about?" Punk asked, too curious for his own good.

"Well, we knew it was your room because we saw you go in, but we had no idea that John was even in Baltimore," Evan said, clearly not realizing that further conversation was a bad idea. "Kofi said that it had to be John in there with you but I thought…"

"You thought what? That I was sneaking around behind John's back! Who in the hell did you think I was in there with!"

"Well…Randy."

"Randy! But he's married…and straight…and he's Randy!"

"You two went from being enemies to being friends like overnight. And he's always with you and John."

"So you thought we were having some illicit threesome! Get your mind out of the gutter Bourne!"

"Well, if you're not involved with Randy can I…"

"Do not even finish that sentence if you value your life, Bourne," John said menacingly.

The elevator opened on the bottom floor and Evan took off like a shot, Kofi just shaking his head and following his tag team partner.

"I'm going to kill that kid!"

"Let's just ignore the existence of Air Boom for the rest of our lives," Punk said soothingly, hoping that John wouldn't chase after Evan and break both his legs.

John stalked into the lobby and sat next to Randy on a sofa.

"What's wrong with you?"

John just glared at Randy.

"What did I do?"

"Nothing. John, stop being an ass. Evan Bourne is under the impression that you are involved in a hot gay three-way with me and John."

"What! I'm going to kill that kid!"

"I'm pretty sure that line is forming behind John."

"Both of you need to chill, Evan is harmless."

"Bourne is a pervert and if he ever looks at you again I'm going to blind him," John said, still obviously pissed.

Punk wished for the first time in his life that he had some tranquilizers on hand because John and Randy were badly in need of them.

While in the line to get through security Punk noticed both John and Randy staring daggers at someone further up the line, of course it was Evan. Evan turned around and noticed the death glares being sent his way. Evan immediately turned around and stepped directly in front of Kofi, as if not being in Randy and John's sightline would make him disappear.

"I don't think security would appreciate an RKO or an AA while in line to get through the scanners. I can tell you most definitely that just because Evan's wacked out mind comes up with something strange doesn't make it true."

When they finally boarded the plane John pushed past Punk, making sure he took the middle seat between him and Randy. Usually John's jealousy both entertained and turned him on, but this irrational display was just moronic.

They finally arrived in Philadelphia after what seemed like the longest flight in his life. Randy had a rematch scheduled against Barrett, but as usual he and John were prey to Laurinaitis' on the spot booking. John still seemed wary of Randy, again inserting himself between them in the locker room. He also took the time to glower at Evan who looked like he wanted to melt into the walls. No one seemed to be beyond suspicion today when John practically dislocated his neck trying to eavesdrop on a conversation he was having with Zack and Daniel.

Randy left to head to the arena entrance and Punk followed Randy out of the locker room, with John rushing to follow them, still pulling on his clothes.

"Where are you two going?" John asked suspiciously.

"To get in a quickie before Randy's match, obviously. John, chill, I'm just going to the ring to crash the party. You might as well go back to the monitor bay Randy cause I plan to be out there for a while."

Randy just nodded and walked back the way they had come but John continued to hover around Punk.

"Is this thing with you dogging my every step going to become a permanent feature?"

"I considered going through your things and handcuffing us together."

"I'd love to see you try to explain that to the fans. I'm going out to the ring to celebrate the new era of the WWE. Just so you know Zack and Daniel will be joining me and I do not plan to have a live sex celebration with either of them. I think it's been made clear repeatedly that you and I belong to each other and no one else. Do you not trust me?"

"I trust you; it's everyone else that I don't trust. Just the idea of you with someone else makes my skin crawl."

"Well, go put some ointment on that and go back to the monitor bay and watch the show. If you still feel the need to have your jealousy put to rest feel free to abduct me and drag me off to some abandoned storage room. Listen, the show is about to start. I'll be back in a few and I have the feeling you'll be waiting for me when I come back. Here, snap me in." Punk handed John his belt and John snapped it into place around his waist.

Punk turned to the tech in the gorilla position, "Did the guys in the truck talk to you?"

"Yeah, we've got the graphics ready." The drum roll began and Punk grabbed a mic to perform a public service to the fans of announcing the results of TLC while getting in a few shots at Laurinaitis. He had to admit that while the guy was all the things that Punk said about him he was really getting tired of saying them. If only Laurinaitis would disappear into thin air he would be happy to see that part of his usual routine evaporate away. He almost missed the days when he was at the mercy of a laptop.

He entered the ring with his music blaring over the speakers and the crowd going wild which still seemed off-putting from time to time because the days when he was booed out of the building were not that far gone. He announced the results of the US Title match and the Heavyweight title match to the crowd, Zack and Daniel coming to the ring in turn.

When talking up Philadelphia as a city that appreciated actual professional wrestling and ECW chant broke out. Punk had no doubt that they weren't referring to the C show that the WWE had created. It seemed that the memory of ECW would never die. Since the PG rating had been enforced the fans had been sorely lacking in the type of violence that ECW had brought to the table.

The three men passed the mic around, celebrating the new WWE that last night had brought about but they were eventually interrupted by Miz, Ziggler and del Rio, the newest members of the WWE sore losers club. They circled the ring and titles were thrown haphazardly to the ground in preparation for a fight. I didn't turn out to be much of a fight when last night's losers were run out of the ring, some never even managing to get in the ring at all.

Punk watched in confusion as the three men huddled up to find a new tactic. What precisely was with the huddle, were they playing touch football now instead of wrestling. Zack obviously saw this as an opening as Punk watched Zack fly past him to suicide dive the huddled men. It took them out briefly, but they recovered in time to ram Zack into the steps.

He and Daniel chased them up the ramp but before they could exact any punishment Laurinaitis came out to break their fun up. For once Laurinaitis seemed to be thinking with an actual working brain when he scheduled a six-man tag match as the main event.

John decided to do a little party crashing of his own and went out to the ring to confront Kane about the attack last week. John had made Punk promise not to get involved no matter what happened, as everyone knew Kane was a complete nut job. Punk wondered how Kane would even know he was being called out because he doubted that there were monitors in whatever dank basement Kane was occupying at the moment.

Instead summoning Kane to the ring it was Mark Henry who showed up. With Kane back and no Heavyweight title to defend, Punk wondered why Henry had not chosen to flee the state to get away from the possible wrath of Kane. Henry seemed intent on inducting John into the Hall of Pain. All of a sudden Kane's pyro went off. Punk had made friends with the majority of the guys backstage but had never tried to get in with the pyro guys since he didn't have any. They were obviously a group of techs with a few screws loose if they were following the directions of Kane.

Kane came to ringside and it seemed like he was stalking Henry but he made an abrupt about face and went after John in the ring. Kane stood on the ring apron, removing his new welding mask to reveal the other mask. Punk wondered exactly what was mentally wrong with a person who felt they needed two masks. Kane entered the ring but John charged him, sending him outside the ring, but unfortunately Kane landed on his feet, dragged John out the ring, and sent him flying on top of the announce table. Punk could feel his muscles twitching from restraining himself not to go out to the ring like John expressly told him not to.

Punk decided he didn't give a fuck what John wanted when Kane began to smother John while he was laid out on the table. Punk jumped from his seat and took off. By the time he made it to the arena entrance Kane was gone and John was slowly walking up the ramp, clearly shaken up, bleeding from the mouth and shirtless for some reason. The trainers immediately took John back to the training room, Punk following behind, and gave John some oxygen after he was almost suffocated. They finally let John go, the blood being from a minor cut on the inside of his lip.

John seemed extremely reticent about what happened with Kane when he realized that Punk had missed the end of the confrontation because he had been making his way to the arena entrance. Luckily they were met in the hall by a worried Randy.

"What the hell was that! What kind of sick fuck strips your shirt off you and takes it as some kind of trophy!"

John didn't respond and Punk was feeling a combination of horror and anger. John had almost been asphyxiated and then purposely neglected to tell Punk the whole story.

"Randy, can you give us a minute; I need to talk to Phil."

"Damn right we need to talk!"

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you the whole story, but Kane is unhinged and I don't want you anywhere near him, you need to understand that I don't want you involved in this, no matter what goes down. I restrain myself from interfering in your matches, even when you're being beat to all hell. We're professional wrestlers and you should be able to trust me to take care of myself."

Punk reluctantly nodded and returned to the monitor bay while John went to the locker room to get another shirt.

"What the hell!" Evan shouted.

The roster turned their attention to the monitors. It was another one of those creepy as hell videos. Just when Punk thought that the WWE was improving exponentially it had quickly become something more like a horror movie.

It was finally time for his match and Zack had convinced him and Daniel that it would be a great idea to enter the ring through the audience. The hallways were pretty empty considering it was the main event, so Punk was able to pick an entrance without being mobbed. Punk, Zack and Daniel made their way to the ring without issue. The first five minutes of the match were pretty lopsided in their favor; it took all that time for the other team to even get in one offensive maneuver.

That one offensive maneuver turned into a series, the other team keeping Daniel in their corner and away from a possible tag out. They fought their way back as a team, Daniel getting del Rio to tap to the LeBell Lock. They took their time leaving the arena after their win, Punk taking particular pleasure in standing on top of the announce table, raising the belt over his head causing Cole to have a conniption fit.

Punk returned backstage and breathed a sigh of relief. Christmas vacation was on and the sore losers club and Kane were certainly not invited. Punk showered quickly and found John waiting for him when he exited the shower.

"We're off for the week and besides having to see our families what are we going to do?" Punk said heatedly.

"Christmas shopping of course!"

"Shopping?" Punk asked, hoping for any answer besides the one that John had given.

_AN: So inspiration did come, after a freaky dream at 3AM. Instead of sleeping like a normal human I elected to drag my laptop into bed and write. I believe I have invented sleepwriting, which is how the whole Randy insanity was conceived. For writing something while pretty much still asleep it didn't turn out half bad. Thank you once again to my great reviewers._


	7. Chapter 7

**December 20, 2011**

John dragged Punk all over Philadelphia buying gifts for his family members. Punk was glad he had such a small family so he didn't have to buy an extra suitcase like John to cart all his stuff home. He and John had agreed to spend the time together during their time off before Christmas; both men were flying home on Christmas Eve to spend the holiday with their families. They would meet up on Christmas night since Monday Night Raw on the 26th was in Chicago.

"Phil, you haven't bought anything."

"I usually only buy something for my mom."

"What do you define as "something?"

"Well, I usually get her a gift card."

"The woman bought you into the world and raised you, which I know wasn't an easy job and all you can manage is a gift card?"

"She has very low expectations."

"Well, this year you're going to do better than a gift card. I'm not putting my name on something as boring as a gift card," John said, pulling out his phone and tapping the keys. "Okay, it's nowhere near here; we'll have to take a cab."

They hailed a cab, John giving the driver the address. When they pulled up to their destination Punk tried to dive back into the cab but John grabbed his hand and pulled him toward the entrance.

"I can't go in there, I'm pretty sure I'm on a blacklist or something. I'm positive that I'll be the only one in there with a body full of ink."

"I seriously doubt they'll care. They care about money and your mom will be overjoyed."

"Yeah, so overjoyed that she'll have a heart attack."

"I've never been here either. I'm gay meaning this is not a store that I've had to frequent; it also saves me a ton of money on flowers and expensive champagne too."

"Fine, but I'm paying."

"You haven't seen the prices yet."

"Great, now I'll be the one having a heart attack."

Punk turned out to be correct that he got quite a few strange looks while in the store but they were more than happy when the authorization went through on his credit card.

They had just deposited John's gifts in their hotel room when John was pulling him out of the hotel room again.

"Where are we going now? I refuse to go to any more stores."

"It's part of your Christmas present."

Punk was completely confused when the cab pulled up at the hospital.

"What kind of fucked up present is this?"

"We're going to get your hand x-rayed again."

This time around Punk let John come with him into the examination room and waited for him patiently when Punk got his x-rays. The doctor entered the room with the films.

"You couldn't have broken your hand very badly, it looks good as new. You must be an extremely fast healer."

John smiled widely and dragged Punk out of the hospital. They returned to the hotel room and John pulled out his bags and started packing.

"Are we going somewhere?"

"Yep, we have to catch a flight to get to your Christmas present."

"Where are we going?"

"You'll just have to see."

Punk had no help to figure out where they were going because when they pulled up to the curb of the airport and was met by a man with a sign bearing their names meaning there were no tickets to find out their destination. Punk was shocked when they were lead across the walkway to a Gulfstream.

"A private jet, you're really going all out aren't you."

They boarded the jet and Punk was annoyed when the pilots and the stewardess refused to tell him their destination. Punk finally got some idea where they were when they landed and were surrounded by mountains.

"Where are we?"

"Steamboat, Colorado."

"And the x-rays?"

"I just wanted to make sure I could let you go barreling down a mountain before I got you here. I figured a trip with inherent danger would be more your speed, you like?"

"As far as gifts go this is pretty awesome, thank you," Punk said dropping a kiss on John's lips.

The car pulled up to a private cabin. Punk opened the door and immediately had his arms full of brunette.

"Merry Christmas, Phil!" and Melina jumped up wrapping her legs around Punk's waist. He looked over her shoulder to see John sitting on the sofa, shaking his head slightly at his uncharacteristically exuberant girlfriend.

They stayed up late into the night catching up. They were lucky that the cabin was stocked with food because there was no separating Punk and Melina. John's possessive instincts could be set off by the smallest thing but even he was surprised that seeing Punk with a lapful of Melina didn't bother him in the slightest, he was mostly just entertained as Melina and Punk had weeks of snark to catch up on.

The next morning after breakfast they headed out to the slopes. John was happy when everyone elected to snowboard meaning there was less equipment to worry about. He had no idea if Punk could ski or not but it didn't really matter because Punk just strapped in and was gone with Melina not far behind him.

"They're gonna be impossible all week aren't they," John asked watching his girlfriend take off down the mountain trying to overtake Punk.

"I just hope that I don't bring back the WWE Champion in pieces," following their significant others at a more sedate pace.

John fell behind everyone eventually meeting everyone at the bottom and showing up in a highly disheveled state.

"What happened to you?" Punk asked, as John was covered with snow.

"There was this tree, it came out of nowhere."

"Did the tree have evil intentions?" Punk asked, trying to hide his laughter.

"It did actually, it started talking and throwing snow at me, it was like the Wizard of Oz."

Punk burst out laughing and John didn't care that he had taken a header into the snow. Punk was relaxed and happy and that was all that really mattered.

They spent their days out in the snow, gradually working their way up to the intermediate rated runs, Melina eventually leaving them all behind in the dust. They spent their nights in front of the fire just hanging out, their shared profession barely coming up in conversation.

It was the day before they were heading home when Melina led them away from the usual runs they were frequenting to a chair lift they had never taken before and were met by an instructor.

"Melina, where are you taking us?" Punk asked confused, they were all far beyond instructors at this point, even if John had a few mishaps along the way.

"We're going to get your Christmas present silly but it's sort of my present too because I'm dying to try this. You guys can just tag along if you want."

They eventually found themselves standing on the edge of a mini half pipe.

"Okay, how about we start with…" the instructor struck dumb when Punk just dropped into the half pipe with no instruction whatsoever. Punk caught air on the other side of the pipe.

"I'm flying!"

John cracked up even though Punk had charged headfirst into danger with no thought for his safety which didn't really surprise him in the slightest. The last time he had heard Punk yell that was when Punk was flying at him after a springboard clothesline at Summerslam.

When Punk came back up the side, he barely made it onto the platform, stumbling into the railing.

"You're going to be a handful aren't you?"

"He always is," John replied to the instructor, smiling beside himself.

**December 24, 2011**

John had landed in Boston, happy that he sent Punk home to his mother in one piece. He immediately headed to his parent's house. The immediate family celebrated on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day being reserved for the children and the occasional in-law. He kissed his mother hello but refused to hug his father until he agreed to never appear on any WWE program ever again. His father tried to use the argument that if a legend like Mick Foley called you up and asked for something how could he say no? John was tempted to put his father in a headlock until he got a promise that he would never show up on TV again, even if Steve Austin were to call. One "This is Your Life," was one too many for a lifetime.

John joined his brothers in the living room who were watching the Hawaii Bowl. No one had a preference for either team, but it was football and they were a family made up almost entirely of men. His brother's wives and his parents were forced to corral the children with no help from their fathers. They were intently watching the game when one of his brothers turned to him.

"I have to know. Where did you get that interesting sunburn?"

"It's from the ski goggles; I was in Colorado for a few days."

"That must have been hilarious. We all know you aren't famous for your balance. There's a reason we don't see you on the top rope very often."

"Haha. There was almost an altercation with a tree but I escaped unscathed."

"So were you in Colorado alone?" John realized that no one was watching the game now, they were all watching him.

"No, not alone, do you really want to talk about this?" and to John's dismay they all seemed rather interested in his love life which was a change from the norm. He was happy that his brothers were comfortable enough to inquire about his love life but didn't count on them wanting to gossip like a bunch of schoolgirls.

"So you have someone new?"

"Not new exactly."

"And this is the first time we're hearing about this? It has to be someone from work, you're never away from there long enough to meet anyone else."

"Yes, it's someone from work; we've been together for about six months."

"Is it someone we would know?"

"Yes."

"Well…"

"How about we watch the game?" John said, wanting a subject change as soon as possible.

"You're not getting out of this that easily. You've got to tell us who."

"Fine. It's CM Punk," and the room fell into silence.

"Wait…wasn't he jumping a barricade with your title in hand six months ago?"

"Yeah…"

"No offense but he doesn't seem very nice."

"Obviously I'm an exception."

"There must be a helluva lot more to this story…"

"Which I will not be telling you. Let's just watch the game before Mom and Dad…"

"Your mother and I what…"

"John's got himself a boyfriend."

"You mean the Punk kid?" his Dad said. Neither his Dad nor his Mom seemed surprised in the least.

"How in the world do you know about that?"

"I was backstage at Raw for quite a while and you two didn't seem like the enemies you are supposed to be so I asked Randy…"

"Randy!"

"You should bring him by the house the next time you're in town for a show," his mother said.

John didn't know what was worse, his family avoiding the topic of his sexuality or them actually wanting to meet Punk. He could just imagine the look on Punk's face when he relayed his mother's invitation to meet the entire Cena clan.

**December 25, 2011**

Punk had gone out immediately after arriving home and had gotten John's Christmas present. He showed up at his Mom's house bright and early, still in his pajamas which the cab driver found hilarious and joined his Mom for their traditional Christmas morning breakfast. As usual his Mom had cooked far too much food.

They were lounging in the living room trading off Christmas movies. He endured "It's a Wonderful Life" and she was subjected to "Nightmare Before Christmas" which he knew she actually liked because he could see her mouthing the words to "Making Christmas."

"Do you want your Christmas present?"

His mom handed over a gift bag and Punk pulled out a gift card that was extremely familiar. Punk opened the card that bore his own writing.

"You're re-gifting your present from last year to the person who gave it to you in the first place?"

"You kept buying them so I guessed you had a preference for them."

"Do you know what will happen if I walk into a Wal-Mart."

"Yes, utter hilarity, you have to take me along when you go, that can be your gift to me."

"I actually got you a real present this year but I think you don't deserve it now, I'm going to take it back."

"If you actually went to the trouble to get me a real present I absolutely have to have it, it's not going to blow up or anything will it?"

"It's from both me and John, so no it's not lethal."

He handed the generic gift bag to his mother. She moved aside the tissue paper, "Oh My God."

"Oh don't get all weepy on me; you haven't even opened it yet."

His Mom pulled out the blue box with the white ribbon and just gawked at the box. She finally spoke, "They actually let you in Tiffany's. I'm surprised you weren't escorted out by security."

"I'm pretty sure that they considered it, open it, John picked them out, obviously."

She slid the ribbon free, opening the box and revealing the diamond studs set in platinum.

"I don't know what to say, they're beautiful…you know what, I do know what to say, thank god for John Cena, you need to keep that one on a short, very permanent leash."

"I plan to."

"If this is what you and John got for me, what did you give each other?"

"John took me to Colorado to go snowboarding with some of our friends."

"What did you get him?"

"I haven't given it to him yet. He's flying in tonight and I'm going to give it to him then. Don't even ask what it is, he should get it first before I go telling anyone else about it."

They continued to watch movies and eat breakfast again for lunch. It was getting later in the day and John would be at his apartment in a few hours. Punk returned home and waited for John to arrive, getting more and more worried that John wouldn't like his gift even though Punk thought it was perfect.

John eventually arrived, "Merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas to you too. You need to open your present because you get half of it here but we have to go out to get the other half.

"What's open on Christmas night?"

"I had to pay a little extra, but no worries. It isn't a vacation or anything so open your present," Punk standing still and opening his arms wide.

"What?"

"You have to undress me to get it."

"You're giving me your naked body, that works for me."

John began undressing Punk but gasped when Punk's pants fell to the floor.

"Oh God, how in the hell did you hurt yourself," John staring at the bandage covering Punk's hip.

"Take off the bandage and see."

John removed the bandage and was dumbfounded. He couldn't stop staring at the ink that was etched into Punk's skin. He dropped to his knees to get a closer look.

"How did you even…that's my handwriting."

"I lifted your driver's license from your wallet while you were sleeping one night and brought it down to the concierge and got them to make a copy. They blew it up and there you go."

John still couldn't stop staring at "John" permanently affixed to Punk's skin. He lowered his mouth to Punk's lower hip, placing gentle kisses around the raised skin. John was highly disappointed when Punk pulled John's mouth away from his body.

"Hey, I was appreciating my Christmas present."

Punk started pulling on his clothes.

"You can't put the wrapping paper back on a present!"

"We need to go out to get the other half of your gift," they walked down the street a ways until Punk stopped at a storefront, "We're here."

"What…oh no," and John started to walk back to the apartment. Punk grabbed hold of John and dragged him back.

"It took a lot of begging to get him to come in tonight. Do you not want to…"

"No I want to, but you're going to have to hold my hand, I've heard it hurts like hell."

"You've felt worse pain before, it'll only take thirty minutes tops," and Punk led John into the shop. "John, this is Josh, Josh, John."

"Nice to meet you. Same place as Punk's?" John just nodded. "Get up on the table, unzip and lay back."

John did as directed but wasn't looking forward to what was about to transpire. He had been injured and worked with the normal aches and pains of the profession but this was the first time he would be willfully submitting to something that would be painful.

Josh handed Punk a marker and Punk pulled his boxers down on one side, signing "Phil" low on his hip where Punk had gotten his.

He grabbed Punk's hand as the needle made the contact with his skin. After the initial shock wore off it wasn't that bad. The artist was soon finished due to the simplicity of the tattoo. He would only submit himself to this for Punk though the idea of being marked as Punk's and the wide smile on Punk's face made it totally worth it.


	8. Chapter 8

**December 26, 2011**

_Monday Night Raw_

Immediately after walking into the arena in Chicago the carefree good mood that Punk had been in over the holidays evaporated. Punk had been happier than he had even seen him and John couldn't help but feel especially euphoric that he had been the one who put that all too rare lighthearted expression on his face. Even the prospect of confronting Kane could not erase his happiness. His dimpled smile was in full display because every time his pants brushed against the sore spot on his hip he was reminded that they had committed to each other on a level that even a ring couldn't overrule. The love that they shared was now permanently etched onto their bodies. They were joined for life now and the brief pain he had experienced was well worth the result. The pleasure they had shared after the inking had been slow and sweet, Punk finding absolutely genius methods of getting him off due to the limitation of not being able create any friction due to their names being etched on each other's skin. Punk had absolutely wrecked him, being so satiated that he could barely summon the strength to bring Punk to the heights that he had brought him to. It proved to not be an issue as Punk had derived as much pleasure as he had from his actions that the favor was returned quite quickly. They had spent the rest of the night lifting each other's bandages, John thrilling every time at the sight of his name inscribed on Punk's skin. They had removed the bandages today so that they wouldn't broadcast what they had done to the roster. Not that it seemed to matter since according to Evan practically the whole locker room was on to them. The only person who would have definitely noticed what they had done was Randy but he had been seriously injured by Barrett on Friday after pushing Randy down a flight of stairs. While he was mad Punk was seriously ticked off. He wouldn't be surprised if Barrett found himself pushed down a flight of stairs himself if he showed his face on Raw tonight. He wasn't going to bother Randy when he was injured, but on his return Randy would have a lot of explaining to do about why he ratted out his relationship with Punk to his father. He wasn't very angry since it had all turned out for the best due to an inexplicable mood of acceptance that had overtaken the Cena family.

As per usual the road agent didn't have anything for him and Punk which meant absolutely nothing. Laurinaitis didn't seem to be a fan of planning ahead or he really just liked to torture Punk, the latter probably being closer to the truth. John went to walk away but Punk didn't move a muscle.

"Come on, we need to go get changed."

"I'm not leaving until Dave explains that strained expression he has on his face. Laurinaitis is a jackass, there's no need to keep his confidences. If I'm going to end up in a 15 man handicap match I should be entitled to know beforehand."

"I really don't know anything about what you're scheduled for but I can guess that it's not going to be good."

"Just come out with it," Punk said getting more and more annoyed, but obviously trying to rein it in so that Dave would talk.

"Have you seen the ratings for last week's Raw?"

"I've been on vacation and I don't make a habit out of obsessively checking the internet."

"The ratings for the main event last week, the 6 man tag, were bad."

"How bad?"

"It was the lowest rated match of a non-holiday airing of Raw since 1997. I wouldn't be surprised if you were scheduled for something fucked up as punishment."

"Thanks Dave" and Punk walked away, John trailing behind him.

Punk started banging on every door they passed until he found one that was unlocked. Punk walked into the room with John following behind him, locking the door as he went. Punk kicked the first thing he could reach, sending a chair careening into the opposite wall. Punk continued to abuse all the available furniture until there was nothing left to take out his frustration on. Punk sunk to the ground, John sitting down next to him, wrapping an arm around Punk's waist. They were both making a habit of having emotional breakdowns in abandoned rooms in arenas all over the country.

"I don't understand. You hear the crowds when I come out into the arena, they go crazy."

"There were 5 other people in that match."

"Yeah, but I'm the Champion, it's on me to get people to tune in but apparently I'm making them do the exact opposite."

"Ratings…"

"Don't you dare say that ratings don't matter because you know they do. I don't sugar coat things for you so don't even try to pull that on me. 6 months ago you and I were on top of the world and now you're getting booed out of every arena we're in and I seem to be repelling viewers," Punk said, dropping his head on John's shoulder. They stayed that way for sometime. "Well, time to face the one man firing squad; you know Laurinaitis is laughing it up somewhere."

They reached the locker room and all conversation halted. No one would look Punk in the eye.

"Don't you guys dare try to walk on eggshells around me! I damn well know that I'm a fucking ratings sinkhole," and Punk chose an alcove and started to pull his gear on angrily. John took the spot next to him and silently started to change as well. A few of the braver guys tried to talk to Punk but were only met with a glare and a turned back.

They found a place in the back of the monitor bay, hopefully discouraging any more of their co-worker's from trying to approach Punk, John knowing in Punk's current mood that anything coming out of his mouth would be with emotionally lethal intent.

The show started and Punk's music started blaring through the arena. Almost the entire roster looked back at Punk who was very obviously not entering the arena. The crowd blew up but their yelling quickly turned to boo's when Laurinaitis walked out into the arena wearing a CM Punk shirt and parodying Punk's entrance.

"Fuck this!" and Punk stood up abruptly, sending his chair clattering behind him and stalked toward the arena entrance. John hoped that Punk didn't pass any monitors on his way there because Laurinaitis started talking out his ass about being a CM Punk believer, when anyone listening knew that was an outright lie. Laurinaitis was intent on humiliating Punk, the WWE Champion, in the ring in front of his hometown crowd. John had a feeling that no matter what pipe bombs Punk dropped tonight he would end up being screwed in front of his biggest supporters.

Punk's music finally cued up and a sneering Punk entered the arena, complete with the usual ring entrance. Punk entered the ring, saying something to Laurinaitis; John could only imagine what was coming out of Punk's mouth. Punk took more time than usual to pump up the crowd, no doubt trying to show both Laurinaitis and himself that he had the support of the fans. Punk motioned for a microphone and John knew that Punk couldn't resist tearing down Laurinaitis, most likely digging himself into a deeper hole than he already was.

Punk came at Laurinaitis head on and accused him of intentionally antagonizing him and then threatened to kick Laurinaitis in the face. Laurinaitis responded by saying he was giving Punk the night off which only seemed to incense Punk more. This was doubled when it turned out Laurinaitis was just screwing with him and had scheduled him for a Gauntlet match, having to face 3 guys in succession that night. If one of them should beat Punk they would get a title shot at next week's Raw. It didn't seem to faze Punk but that was probably because after talking to the road agent Punk had already suspected something like a Gauntlet match would be on the menu tonight. John had no doubt that Punk could handle the match, it was the three men that Laurinaitis was going to hand pick which worried him.

Punk countered with the stipulation that if he was to beat all 3 guys then he would get a shot at Laurinaitis himself. After much pressure was brought to bear by the Chicago crowd Laurinaitis agreed to the match but the smarmy look on his face did not bode well for Punk. Punk stayed in the ring for some time playing up to his crowd. By the time Punk had returned to the monitor bay the snarkiness he had displayed in the ring was gone and replaced by full-blown rage. He took his seat next to John and threw the title into the chair next to him.

As the show progressed Lawler announced that the three people he would be facing would be Jack Swagger, Dolph Ziggler and the Mark Henry.

"Well?" John asked Punk, probably risking his emotional health by trying to communicate with Punk when he was like this.

"Well, Swagger won't be a problem as long as I can keep Vickie out of the equation and everyone knows that Henry is injured, it's Ziggler I'm worried about. I've said before that Ziggler is on the short list of those who I consider actual competition and on top of that I'll already have wrestled one match. Johnny must still have a handful of marbles bouncing around in his head," Punk said derisively.

It was too much to ask that Punk wouldn't be further riled up, but the last of the freaky promos aired, the so-called force would be arriving at next week's Raw. The roster started bouncing around names of who could be returning to Raw. The last return was Jeff Hardy and John didn't know if it could get any worse than that. He and Punk were not involved in the conversation but one name kept being brought up more than any others, Chris Jericho.

"You mean on top of everything else I'm going to have to deal with that rock star wannabe Jericho? No doubt he's going to have plenty to say to me."

The subject of Jericho at least quieted Punk's rage down some and put him into a more contemplative mood. John could only guess what was going on in Punk's mind but it was no doubt centered around Jericho and all the denigrating pipe bombs he could drop on the returning wrestler.

They watched as Zack and Eve took on Tyson Kidd and Natalya.

"You win a little gold and the chicks just start coming out the woodwork," Punk said, shaking his head at how quickly the two new champions had seemed to find female hangers-on.

"You do realize that statement also describes how you and I got together, don't you?"

"Yeah, lucky for me I was in the market for a groupie and you filled the position wonderfully."

"Haha. Now that your homicidal mood has alleviated somewhat we need to have a talk."

"What, you're gonna drop me because I'm a ratings suck?"

"No, we need to talk about Kane. I'm getting ready to go out there and confront him and we need to set some ground rules. No matter what happens out there I need you to stay in your seat here in the monitor bay and not come running to my rescue."

"Are you crazy! The last time he attacked you he tried to smother you to death and you just want me to sit idly by while that happens."

"Glossing over your last statement which doesn't put my abilities in a very flattering light, you need to give me the same respect I give you. You always tell me not to get involved in your matches because it makes you look weak, I'm just asking for the same courtesy because in this situation I can't look even remotely weak if I want to get the better of Kane."

"You want me to leave you at the mercy of some basement dwelling freak!"

"That's exactly what I'm saying. You need to promise me not to get involved or I'm going to get Show to sit on you for the duration."

"Fine, we'll play things your way and you don't need to leave me in the care of a babysitter while you're out there."

"I'm glad we're in agreement. I'm going out now to become the star in my very own horror movie."

John left Punk in his seat, hoping like hell he would control himself and made his way to the arena entrance. While the Chicago crowd wasn't as deafening as it had been at Money in the Bank he would not exactly call it positive. If Kane came to the ring and choked him out the bloodthirsty crowd would probably cheer their approval. John tried to pump up the crowd but it was like hitting a brick wall. John called Kane out to the ring but instead he got Miz.

Miz demanded a match with John on the spot. At least Miz seemed to realize that his victory over him at WrestleMania was in question because of the Rock's interference. If Miz wanted a match he would give him one. Kane's no-show was frustrating and what better way to relieve that then taking out those frustrations on Miz. After about 2 minutes Miz bailed out of the match and elected to subject the crowd to his ramblings about beating John at WrestleMania, no matter how it had been achieved, and Miz was counted out in the process.

After Miz seemed to finally be wrapping his little speech up, music started blasting through the arena that hadn't been heard in a month, Truth was back and went right after Miz. Truth began beating Miz up all over ringside. John took that opportunity to exit himself from the situation. Kane wasn't going to magically appear it seemed. He returned to the monitor bay to catch the end of the brawl. After that del Rio came out in a wheelchair, announcing to the crowd that he had a groin injury and would be out of action for a while.

"Good riddance, del Rio. That's one less boring monologue I'm going to have to be subjected to every Monday night."

"Give the guy a break; you know how it sucks to be injured."

"Fine, it's a tough break, but I can only say that I hope he asks the doctor for a personality transplant while his other injury is being looked at."

It was finally time for Punk's Gauntlet match. John snapped Punk's belt into place and sent him on his way to meet Swagger. While the match went back and forth, it only lasted for 3 minutes with Punk winning with a kick to the head. Seconds after the 3-count Ziggler's music sounded through the arena. Before Ziggler even entered the ring, Swagger clipped him behind the knee while his back was turned leaving him at the mercy of Ziggler. Ziggler concentrated on Punk's aching knee, Punk barely able to put up the barest offense.

Even after Ziggler spending the match punishing his knee he was finally able to come back, getting Ziggler set up for the GTS but Vickie got involved and was holding his leg down on the mat so he couldn't drive it into Ziggler's face. While Punk was regrouping he could hear Laurinaitis' grating voice saying something. Punk had a match to win and couldn't be bothered with Laurinaitis. Punk recovered and kicked Ziggler in the head and went for the cover but the official was nowhere to be found. Laurinaitis had the official monopolized with kicking Vickie and Swagger out from ringside. While this would be welcome normally, it was most definitely unwelcome when he had Ziggler down and pinned.

For some reason Laurinaitis stepped onto the ring apron and started haranguing him about the match between them that Punk planned to enjoy later on that night. When Punk suddenly went down and was too stunned to kick out he knew Laurinaitis had planned this as was evidenced by the sickening smile on his face. Laurinaitis had gotten the better of him and now Ziggler had a title match for the next Raw. Punk had his hands full with Ziggler tonight but next week he wouldn't be hobbling around on one leg.

Punk recovered and searched ringside for Ziggler. He found him parading around the ring with HIS title. Was the guy insane or something, he had to realize that he would pay for his stupidity next week. Punk was enraged as Ziggler took the title all the way up the ramp, kissed it, and left it lying there. Ziggler was going to get the shit kicked out of him next week. Punk knew that it wouldn't be the GTS on tap for next week but the Anaconda Vise. Ziggler needed to be taught a painful lesson.

Punk had intended to go to the locker room to shower but as he passed the monitor bay he saw everyone turned around in their seats staring at John. He finally picked up the music playing through the monitor bay because everyone else was in complete silence. Kane had entered the ring. It didn't take John long to jump up from his seat and head to the ring and Punk had no idea what was going to happen when John got there.

John's music cued up and John started down the ramp but was met with a wall of fire. He really needed to make an effort to get on the good side of the guys in charge of pyro, but if they were doing Kane's bidding then they were probably a lost cause. John remained at the head of the ramp while Kane explained in his demented mindset why he had chosen John to be his victim. He attacked John's mantra of rising above hate, throwing in John's face all the people that hated him and that even while John was encouraging the fans to treat him as they will, inside John hated those fans that ridiculed him.

Punk knew that John didn't have a hateful bone in his body but knew that the hatred of the fans, no matter what John said in the ring, were getting to him. Kane had found John's most vulnerable spot and was sadistically twisting the knife. John seemed susceptible to Kane's vile words until out of nowhere a "Cena" chant broke out. Punk teased John about his prepubescent fan base, but they certainly knew when to pick their spots and John seemed buoyed by their support.

Kane went on about John needing to embrace his hate so that he could be free. Punk couldn't deny that he felt John needed to put his detractors in their place but he couldn't subscribe to anything someone like Kane said. Of course the anti-Cena fans could pick their spots as well as the usual "Let's Go Cena, Cena Sucks" chant broke out. Whatever courage John had gained from the crowd's brief support of him had now been washed completely away. John looked like he could burst into tears at any moment. Kane gleefully started leading the "Cena Sucks" chant. John bowed his head at the unbearable sound of the crowd's chanting and then the feed to the monitor bay shut off.

The roster sat in silence while they waited for John to reappear. They watched as John solemnly walked into the monitor bay and stopped in front of Punk holding his hand out. Punk paused briefly before placing his hand in John's and letting him lead him to the locker room to collect their things. Punk wasn't sure if it was the best idea to display their relationship to the entire roster, but in John's current state of mind there was no way that he would have refused John's hand.

They caught a cab and made their way to the hotel and up to their room. John started taking off his clothes. Punk didn't feel particularly sexy at the moment and he couldn't believe that John would either. After he finished undressing he started to divest Punk of his clothes as well.

"John, I don't think…"

"You need a shower and right now I couldn't stand the separation for even a few minutes."

Punk tried to shower as quickly as possible but was hindered somewhat by John plastering himself against his back, keeping his head tucked against Punk's neck. Punk ended up doing most of the washing as John didn't seem capable of even the simplest of tasks. Punk dried John off and got him into bed, pulling the covers up over both of them. John turned on his side, his back to Punk. Punk was hurt for a moment that John was now trying to shut him out. Punk could see John's shoulders shaking and hear his labored breathing. John suddenly reached back, pulling Punk's arm around him and placing his hand over the ink that bore his name. Punk molded his body to the back of John's and held him tightly placing a kiss between John's shoulder blades.

"Phil, I love you, you're the only thing keeping me together right now."

"John, I love you too," Punk said softly but he had never wanted to be the center of someone's world less.

_AN: I've caught hell trying to wrap my head around this Kane thing so the updates will probably be slow in coming for a while. I want to sincerely thank my reviewers because the updates keep me writing even though I find this current material especially difficult and was a step away from abandoning this story because I couldn't make it all make sense in my head. Hopefully this chapter makes lives up to expectations because it took some time to make the pieces fit._


	9. Chapter 9

**December 30, 2011**

Punk was glad that the year was almost over because the last week had been hellish. It had all started at Madison Square Garden when the security guard wouldn't admit him to the arena. The guard was convinced that there was no way Punk could be a wrestler, much less the WWE Champion. He finally got into the arena when Otunga of all people had been walking by and had to diffuse the situation because Punk was one second away from beating down the security guard and showing him exactly what a WWE Champion was capable of. He bet Otunga and Laurinaitis were laughing their asses off somewhere over that one.

None of this would have happened had John been with him but John was so wrapped up in Ryder's welfare that Punk thought he was fast becoming an afterthought in John's life. He was so sick of Zack fucking Ryder. He was always around; meals, locker rooms, tagging together, hanging out in their hotel room till all hours of the night. Zack was the biggest cockblock that he had ever met because his constant presence had brought his and John's sex life to a halt. John seemed more interested in cosseting Ryder than violating his all too willing body. The only reason he hadn't grabbed Ryder by his spiked hair and tossed him into the hallway was because he seemed to lessen the severity of John's recent emotional downward spiral. Apparently Punk's disposition was not conducive to lightening John's mood and that wasn't the best feeling in the world, Zack Ryder doing something that he was apparently incapable of.

After New York they had been to Pittsburgh, Washington D.C. and Hartford. Kane was a problem that didn't seem to be going away anytime soon. He had been attacking John during his matches. Even though Punk had suffered repeatedly at the hands of the Undertaker he wished the guy would cut short his time off and put a handle on this psychotic brother.

Not that it really seemed to matter these days but the majority of the guys seemed pretty supportive of him and John's relationship, even the guys that they frequently faced off against were keeping their mouths shut. It seemed that the old school wrestling code of silence was still in effect. Punk hadn't seen anything on the dirt sheets on the internet or anywhere else. Punk knew it was only a matter of time before someone slipped to the wrong person but he would cross that bridge when he came to it.

It also didn't help that his vision of a new Era in the WWE had crashed and burned in a matter of weeks. He was ready to strangle Ryder, Beth had a giant hematoma on her face from a leg drop from Alicia Fox, Evan of all people had been suspended for a wellness violation, and it seemed that the proximity to the Heavyweight Championship had turned Daniel into a jackass. Kofi was floundering without Evan and Punk seemed to be a ratings killer. The only person not swimming in a sea of suck was Cody but he doubted that would last much longer because the Rhodes family was rapidly edging towards a meltdown.

The strangest thing above all was his matches with Ziggler. They were taking place in a steel cage so Vickie and Swagger were taken out of the equation but Ziggler didn't seem to be particularly bothered by it. For some reason Ziggler would not stop talking in the ring. He would have Ziggler in a hold and the man would start having these one sided conversations. Of course everything he said was vaguely insulting but for some reason Punk would sometimes find himself answering back. Their back and forth exchanges in the ring were far more sarcastic and entertaining than anything that they said when they had a microphone in hand. Ziggler was proving himself more and more his equal with every match they had but at least Punk was coming out on top and somewhat redeeming himself from his recent loss in the ring to Ziggler.

It had been an awesome six months but it seemed like things were on the decline and Punk had no idea how to turn it around.

**January 2, 2012**

_Monday Night Raw_

Punk, John and Ryder entered the arena and sought out a road agent to find out what was in store for them that night. Punk's Championship match with Ziggler was a done deal but when Punk found out that he had been demoted from the main event he was incensed but could not show it because it was John taking his place in the main event in a 3 on 3 Tag Team Elimination Match with Show and Ryder against Swagger, Mark Henry and Kane. John seemed to be pleased to find out that he would be taking on Kane in a match. John couldn't match Kane for mind games but seemed confident he could take Kane in the ring.

They made it to the locker room and started to change into their gear. John and Ryder chatted amiably while dressing while Punk was still seething inside from being ejected from the main event. Punk didn't even try to insert himself into their conversation because he knew that amiability was a personality trait that had never been used to describe him. They made their way to the monitor bay and were immediately approached by another road agent that relayed to John that it was time for him to open the first show of the New Year in the ring. He felt like some useless also-ran with John main eventing and opening the show. It seemed like being the Champion didn't mean a damn thing and even though John was the one benefitting from Punk's slide down the ladder it still don't stop him from being so jealous that his teeth hurt.

The Raw signature came on the screen and although it had never bothered him before the signature ending with John saying "The Champ is Here" felt like an affront to his skill and position in the WWE. The show started with John's music playing through the arena and John entering to a mixed reaction. John was all smiles and dimples and Punk knew damn well that he hadn't put that look on John's face. John made his way to the ring and grabbed a microphone. John started talking, pulling out his usual John Cena shtick. John said that one of his resolutions was to wear less underwear. Before his mind could start wrapping itself around that very welcome prospect Ryder started cackling from a seat over.

"I can't believe he really said it!"

Apparently John had perfected his gags with Ryder at some point meaning Ryder knew John was opening the show ahead of time when Punk had been left in the dark. That was just wonderful. John continued by saying that he had banned his father from television and that he was going to beat the Rock at WrestleMania which would no doubt be the main event. He might as well toss the belt to Ziggler and walk away instead of being in some meaningless mid card match. It didn't look like he would be getting his WrestleMania moment this year.

John trotted out the "Hustle, Loyalty, Respect" speech and then defended the crowd that had turned against them, telling them that they were entitled to feel how they wanted about him but it wouldn't change who he was. Either John had some sort of drastic change of heart recently or he had gotten one hell of a pep talk from somewhere. Punk didn't need to exercise his mind very much to guess who had been behind that talk. John called out Kane who responded with what sounded to Punk like a prerecorded voice over and then fire erupted from the turnbuckles.

John's response to this was cut off when a graphic cut in promoting the Championship match he had later on in the night with Ziggler. With the way his week was going he could only imagine how that was going to turn out. Ziggler had beaten him last week with the help of Laurinaitis. No doubt Laurinaitis was going to make a return appearance tonight.

The graphic was again cut off with the hopefully the last of those freaky video clips announcing that "The End Begins Tonight." The entire roster was gossiping like school girls over who was behind the clips. He really hoped it was the Undertaker because the other most likely option didn't bear thinking about. The last thing he needed to deal with was Chris Jericho.

The only thing that lightened his night was seeing Miz run like a scared puppy into Laurinaitis' office because he was afraid of Truth ambushing him tonight. Laurinaitis didn't seem particularly bothered that Miz had a mentally unhinged stalker. Miz kept showing up every couple of minutes looking to hire a bodyguard and failing miserably. What he didn't know was that Truth was following him every step of the way. At least someone would get what was coming to them tonight.

Wade Barrett came out next, gloating over the fact that he had pushed Randy down a flight of stairs and badly injured him. He didn't realize how much he missed Randy because if Randy was here he would no doubt have zero problems shaking John's fangirl loose. One look from Randy and Ryder would be running from the hills. He really didn't want to be Barrett when Randy eventually recovered and returned to kick his ass all over Smackdown.

Josh Mathews seemed to be getting ready to interview someone but when the camera panned to the side all that was in the shot was feet. Ziggler was doing headstands again. He probably picked that trick up when he was a male cheerleader in the Spirit Squad. At least he didn't have anything that embarrassing on his resume. Even though Vickie was at his side Ziggler seemed to be more than capable of talking for himself. Ziggler should really think about ditching her. She might have had her uses when he was starting out but her continued presence just made him look weak. Although Ziggler was talking about beating Punk later that night he couldn't help but laugh when Ziggler called the children of Tennessee illiterate. He still didn't have anything on him though; he was the one after all that once told a fan that he hoped their parents died. He couldn't really get away with that anymore. He liked to think that he could say whatever he wanted whenever he felt like it but he was in the WWE and there were limitations on what he could say. He kind of missed the indie days when he could say and do whatever he felt liked. He would love to see Laurinaitis have a conniption fit if he dropped the f-bomb on live TV.

It was finally time for his match. He walked to the arena entrance and found Ziggler and Vickie waiting there already. He stared Ziggler down waiting for him to enter the arena so he could follow and get this match started. Nothing was happening. He looked at the tech in the gorilla position that was staring at him like Punk was going to go off on him at any minute.

"What?"

"Mr. Laurinaitis said that you were going out first."

Punk was pissed. He was the Champion; he should be going out last. He wasn't going to pitch a fit with the competition watching so he entered the arena with a very large chip on his shoulder and even the screams of the raucous crowd couldn't mask the embarrassment at having to play second fiddle to the #1 Contender.

Ziggler and Vickie entered the arena with Ziggler's usual theatrics. Ziggler finally entered the ring and Punk handed over the title over to the official. They locked up and apparently Ziggler was feeling chatty again.

"You're going to end this match on your back."

"Do you know your roots are showing? I'd say you need a new bleach job but I would really prefer it if you drank the bleach instead of putting it in your hair," and Punk took Ziggler down to the mat. He went for the pin knowing Ziggler was going to kick out; he was mainly doing it just to drive his point home.

The match went back and forth, both men pulling out all the stops to try and get the 3-count. At one point Ziggler whipped Punk across the ring into the corner, the turnbuckle cover coming off as he rebounded. He fought back, hitting Ziggler with a high knee in the corner and then signaling for the GTS with Ziggler laid out in the middle of the ring. Before he could set Ziggler up Laurinaitis was making his way to the ring. What now?

Punk took the opportunity to GTS Ziggler but he countered. Punk threw Ziggler to the mat and locked in the Anaconda Vise. He could feel Ziggler furiously hitting his arm, tapping out to the submission maneuver. Punk jumped up, thinking he had won the match but Laurinaitis had the official distracted who hadn't seen Ziggler tapping. He was glaring at Laurinaitis when Ziggler tried to attack him from behind. Punk side-stepped Ziggler who slammed into Laurinaitis on the ring apron. Punk took his opportunity and set up the GTS again. Ziggler fought out of it and sent him hurtling toward the ropes. Instead of rebounding he flew over the top rope and slammed into the floor, stunning him.

He was pretty out of it and could hear the official counting him out. He tried to get back in the ring but couldn't move fast enough and he was counted out. He couldn't figure out who to glare at more, Laurinaitis walking back up the ramp or Ziggler running around the ring like an ass with his belt in his hands. He finally decided on Ziggler who had jumped the barricade when he saw him coming and took off with HIS belt.

Punk stalked up the ramp and stared down the tech in the gorilla position.

"Show me the end of the match."

The tech hesitated.

"Now!"

The tech cued up the end of the match and there was Laurinaitis, pulling down the top rope so Punk went flying out of the ring instead of rebounding like he should have. He took off down the hallway to Laurinaitis' office. He barged in and found him with Otunga. He tore into Laurinaitis for costing him the match. Laurinaitis was denying it but the smirk on his face told Punk that he had known damn well what he was doing. Laurinaitis twisted the knife in deeper when he set up a Championship match vs. Ziggler at the Royal Rumble with himself as guest referee. Punk saw red.

"You shut your mouth; let me explain something to you. This guy right here is going to come in real handy because if you screw me out of the title at the Royal Rumble you're gonna want to sue me because I'm going to be in jail. Guess what I'm going to be in jail for…animal cruelty because I'm going to beat you like a bitch!"

Punk stormed past the monitor bay and headed for the showers. When he had changed and went back to the monitor bay he found John still sitting with Ryder. He slumped down into his seat and looked at John who was staring at him like he had lost his mind.

"Beat him like a bitch, huh? You do realize we have a PG rating don't you?"

"We can't all be squeaky clean like you. If any of your fan's ears are bleeding it's not my fault, they should all be in bed by now anyway."

John went to grab Punk's hand that was clinched into a fist resting on his thigh but Punk snatched his hand away.

"Phil…what…"

Punk unclenched his fist and grabbed John's hand.

"It's nothing...I'm just pissed about Ziggler and wondering if I'm ever going to get my belt back and what shape it's going to be in when I do get it back."

Punk looked past John to Ryder who was looking at John's and his clasped hands with an odd expression on his face. He would really have to keep his eye on Ryder. Was he suffering from a case of severe hero worship or was it something else altogether?

It was finally time for the main event. Punk watched as Ryder and John, joined by Show, walked toward the arena entrance. Instead of the main event starting that creepy promo cut back in. There were only a few options on who the man returning was and Punk could deal with any of those options but it was the creepy girl from The Shining that really worried him. He could manhandle a guy but Punk had decided after last year's Royal Rumble that GTS-ing a girl was beyond the pale.

The feed cut to the arena and the camera was doing this moronic shaking thing. The lights went out and the arena was black until there were lights in an all too familiar configuration at the top of the ramp. Great…Jericho was back…fuck his life, really.

The audience came unglued and Jericho made his triumphant return to the WWE. And then it went on…and on…and on. Punk estimated that Jericho had been prancing around the ring like a show pony for about for about ten minutes. Punk braced for impact when Jericho cut his return promo…and then he didn't and the fans were not pleased. The deafening cheers were turning to scattered boos as Jericho made his way backstage. What in the living hell was wrong with Jericho?

The main event started sans Kane which made the bout a handicap match. Show and Henry managed to get themselves eliminated when they started a brawl outside of the ring which involved a steel chair. Punk got a perverse thrill when Swagger had Ryder in the ankle lock. John finally tagged in and eliminated Swagger, winning the match.

All of a sudden Kane's pyro and music went off and John jumped from the ring to confront Kane. What John couldn't see was Kane bursting from beneath the ring and grabbing Ryder, pulling him into the hole. Punk didn't really know nor care where Kane was taking Ryder, but John returned to the ring and made the save. Kane disappeared and then fire erupted from the hole Kane had created. The pyro guys were lunatics and were in sore need of a psychological evaluation.

Ryder could be John's damsel in distress but CM Punk was more than capable of showing Kane exactly what happened when you fucked with his boyfriend. Punk thought he was being pretty devious. The minute Kane had tore through the ring apron a plan formed in his head. A plan that disregarded everything that John had told him regarding Kane. He moved his bag into another locker room so that when John returned from the ring he would just assume that Punk had already left. When he returned to the hotel room he would straight up explain where he had been damn the consequences.

He waited out of sight for Kane to emerge from under the ring and then followed him down the hall. He thought he was being pretty stealthy. That was clearly not the case when Kane abruptly turned around and pushed Punk into a dead end hallway. Punk fell to his knees from the force of the shove but was quickly back on his feet, not only to defend himself but to put a hurting on the guy that had tried to set his boyfriend on fire.

"Isn't this foolishly romantic. I had intended to pay you a visit eventually but you've just delivered yourself to me. You are the last piece that will set John's hate free."

"Do you know that you do the worst Darth Vader impression that I've ever heard?" Punk said nastily.

"You're going to pay for every word that comes out your mouth."

"And why do you feel the need to wear two masks. I don't know how you could have possibly gotten uglier since Henry inducted you into the Hall of Pain or have you taken up welding as a hobby?"

"With every word you're just digging your grave deeper."

Punk sprung forward to attack Kane but his momentum was too fast to halt when he saw Kane grab an object from the packing crate in the hall and slammed it into his stomach. The breath was knocked out of him and Kane took advantage of him being momentarily stunned and closed his hand around Punk's throat, slamming him against the wall, making breathing even more impossible than it had been before. He felt himself being lifted up, only the tips of his boots grazing the floor.

"It's a shame Cena isn't here to see you like this. The look on his face seeing his love struggling to even get a breath out, that would be so satisfying. Then again, you're not the one Cena is playing the gallant hero for, that would be Ryder. Maybe you're not the one that will cause Cena's downfall."

"Fuck…you…" Punk forced out but Kane only squeezed his had tighter around Punk's neck.

"I grow tired of your useless words," and Kane brought his other hand up, covering Punk's mouth and nose. Punk struggled to breathe but soon his vision was starting to gray out and there were pinpoints of light dancing before his eyes. All he saw was black when he slid to the floor.

Punk was awoken suddenly when he felt water being thrown in his face.

"What the fuck!"

"It looked so fun when you did it to del Rio I thought I'd try it out for myself."

Punk looked to the side and found Ziggler sitting next to him holding the now empty water bottle.

"Have you been doing sit-ups next to my unconscious body or something?"

"It's not really showing off when there's no one to see it."

"What are you even doing here and why the fuck are you still wearing my belt?"

"I was taking the Championship on a test drive through the arena and found you here like this. I kicked you in the side a couple of times and thought about scrawling obscenities on your forehead but I couldn't find a marker."

"No one wants a Dolph Ziggler autograph do they?"

"That's all going to change after the Royal Rumble when I beat you."

"Keep dreaming."

"I think that it's you who is living in a fantasy world. I've got multiple wins over you and I'm not the one that was lying half dead in an out of the way corridor. You looked like you were ready for someone to draw a chalk outline around you."

"Give me back my fucking belt."

"Nah, I think I'll hold onto it for a while."

"It'll only make you look foolish since it's my name on that belt and not yours. You'll never see one bearing the name Dolph Ziggler so continue to look pathetic if that's what you want. You can't beat me without Laurinaitis doing your dirty work."

"Laurinaitis can stay the fuck in his office for all I care. I'm more than capable of doing my own dirty work."

"How admirable, yeah, you'll make a great Champion, having to resort to cheating to get a win."

"How hypocritical of you Punk, when I know damn well that you are entirely familiar with the concept of cheating. Just because you've gone soft doesn't change your past and if I remember correctly wasn't it you that gave del Rio a GTS on an exposed turnbuckle. You're not anyone's shiny Champion are you? Maybe that's why the ratings are tanking, no one likes a fraud."

"Says the guy who needs a posse to escort him to the ring. If you needed a cheerleader couldn't you have chosen a little better than Vickie? Then again, you know all about cheerleaders don't you?"

"Oh a low blow that I haven't heard a million times before. I don't need Vickie grabbing at your ankles and Swagger prancing around outside the ring, I'm your equal skill-wise Mr. Best in the World and you damn well know it."

Punk stood up and just glared at Ziggler until he got to his feet as well.

"Give me my goddamn belt."

"But it looks so good on me."

Punk grabbed the edge of the belt from behind Ziggler's waist to snatch it away but Ziggler caught the other end. They tugged it back and forth like children fighting over a toy until they both head a metallic clang and they both looked down. One of the plates on the side of the belt had fallen off and fell to the ground. Ziggler immediately released the belt.

"Nevermind, you can have your broke ass belt. Good luck with your craft project. I don't want a belt that's held together with superglue."

Punk grabbed the piece of his belt off the floor, "I am beyond done with this conversation."

"Go home to your boy scout of a boyfriend, we'll be seeing each other again," and Ziggler walked away.

Punk stood in the hallway for a few moments not wanting to spend anymore time with Ziggler than absolutely necessary, because he had stashed his things in the other locker room where Ziggler would have been dressing. He walked the way he had come and entered the locker room he had left his things in. His bag was lying on the floor and had obviously been rifled through. He searched through his things and realized that the kick pads he has worn that night were missing. Fucking Ziggler and his sticky fingers.

Punk arrived at his hotel room and paused in front of the door. He could hear Ryder's voice from the hallway. Perfect. Punk entered the hotel room to John and Ryder laughing which seemed pretty off for two guys that had almost been chargrilled.

"Where have you been?" John asked cheerfully. He obviously wasn't very worried that Punk had pulled a disappearing act.

"Oh you know, stalking people, getting choked out in abandoned hallways, the usual."

"Tell me you didn't do what I think you did. Tell me I'm wrong and you didn't do what I expressly told you not to do."

"No can do. I did exactly what you told me not to do. I don't always roll over and follow commands like a pet."

"Zack, could you…"

"Ryder doesn't have to leave; you're going to tell him everything I say anyway."

"I told you to leave Kane alone and what do you do, you go after him and start something and get yourself choked out."

"He tried to flambé you. I'm not exactly going to give Kane a pass after he tried to light my boyfriend on fire.

"I don't care if he broke both my legs, I told you not to get involved."

"Well, that's the last time I will, you want to go through this alone I'll keep out of it. Wait, what am I saying, you'll have Ryder there with you, it's nice to see that you have some semblance of loyalty left. It's just not to me is it?"

"Phil…I don't understand…what are you saying?" John said, obviously hurt by Punk's venomous words.

Punk felt instantly guilty at the look on John's face. It wasn't John's fault that his professional life was on a fast track to hell. Laurinaitis and Ziggler were the ones responsible, John wasn't intentionally trying to take his spot but that didn't change the fact that it was exactly what was happening.

"Ignore me, I'm just in a bad fucking mood," Punk said, hoping that was enough to diffuse the situation. John still looked confused and upset but he just nodded.

Punk walked over to the desk and pulled out his damaged belt and the piece that had fallen off during his and Ziggler's childish version of tug of war.

"Dude! You broke your belt!"

"That is fucking it; I am so out of here. Have fun picking up the pieces, that's what you're good at right," Punk yelled at Ryder grabbing his bag and stormed out of the room, leaving his belt and John behind.

_AN: I know I've been gone for a while but real life has been hectic and I really wanted to perfect the Ziggler/Punk dialogue. This chapter is longer than usual because I wanted to make up for my absence. Hope you enjoy!_


	10. Chapter 10

Punk walked around Memphis trying to get his head straight. He had first called Melina who suggested that he just kick Ryder's head off his shoulders. A drugged out Randy told him to take his head out of his ass and man up and tell Ryder to fuck off. Punk didn't think that either one of those suggestions would endear himself to John. John had a soft spot for Ryder and if Punk wanted to be with John he would have to stomach Ryder, which sounded like an exercise in futility. Maybe people were right when they said to keep your friends close and your enemies closer but in this situation keeping Ryder close would be agony. Ryder was running around with Eve these days but the looks Ryder gave John on occasion seemed more that just friendly.

Punk returned to the hotel room and was nervous at what might lie behind the door. Maybe John had fallen into bed with his best bud and he would have to choke a bitch. Punk immediately reprimanded himself for even thinking that. John had shown him on multiple occasions that he only loved him and classed their relationship as something permanent. You didn't get someone's name tattooed on your body unless you planned on being with that person forever. Punk cursed himself for being a petulant little bitch and opened the hotel room door. He found John sitting on the bed cradling his belt.

"I don't understand what just happened," John said softly.

"I'm a jealous asshole is what happened."

"I thought you and Zack were getting along."

"That was until I noticed him eyeing you in more than a 'you're my best friend' type of way."

"Zack's with Eve."

"I think the concept of having a beard was created long before Ryder ever came up with it."

"I think you're completely wrong about Zack and as much as I love you I'm not going to stay away from him."

"I know, just don't expect me to third wheel your mutual admiration society."

"So, what? As long as Zack is around you won't be?"

"Well considering current trends Ryder is around all the time so I guess you'll have to practice time management if you want me around too, that is if you want me around at all considering my current level of bitchiness."

"What could ever make you think that I don't want you around?"

Punk just stood in the small hall by the doorway and shuffled his feet not looking up at John. He knew John wasn't a pushover but he wished that John would have just agreed to cut Ryder out of his life. He guessed this was the price you pay when you date someone as nice as John. Punk finally looked up and John gestured to the spot next to him on the bed. Punk took John up on his offer and sat next to him on the bed. John handed Punk his belt that looked as good as new.

"It's fixed with Gorilla Glue so it should stay put. I tried to pry the thing apart to make it a spinner but it just wouldn't cooperate."

"Do you want me to have to hang my head in shame if I had to go out to the ring with a spinning belt? My rep would never recover."

John wrapped his arm around Punk's waist and pulled them down to the bed, John laying his head on Punk's chest.

"I don't know how you could ever think that anyone else could catch my attention. You're the only one for me, you have to know that."

"I do, but sometimes my fight or flight response reads the situation differently."

"I don't care if Zack comes in here and dances the Dance of the Seven Veils, nothing else could remotely compare to what we have."

John's words made Punk's prickliness abate somewhat and he relaxed into John's arms which were moving slowly over his body. John's hand moved under his t-shirt and caressed his skin until he reached the left side of his chest and rested his hand over Punk's heart which was already starting to speed up. It had been a long time, at least for them, since John had paid this sort of attention to Punk. John began kissing Punk's neck lightly, making his way to the spot behind Punk's ear and John sucked lightly at Punk's skin. Every kiss was punctuated by John murmuring "I love you" over and over. Usually sex between them tended to be on the rough side of the spectrum but John's soft and sweet demeanor could only mean that Punk had wounded John with his hasty and vicious words and John was trying to show Punk what he felt for him by his actions.

John pulled Punk's shirt over his head and lavished his chest with kisses, leaving no patch of skin untouched. John moved to the foot of the bed and pulled Punk's shorts down slightly, baring his hip bones and the ink that bore John's name. John's hands circled his hips, thumbs tracing the protruding bones and lowered his head to Punk's tattoo. He licked at the area for some time, Punk finally realizing that John was tracing his name with his tongue, branding Punk over and over. John trailed his hands down, pulling off Punk's shorts and boxers, his shoes and socks disappearing as well. John gazed at his naked body intensely, as if he had never seen it all before. John knelt at the foot of the bed, still fully clothed, and lowered his mouth to Punk's erect cock. He dipped his tongue in the slit, lapping up the fluid he found there. His mouth wrapped around the head of his cock, his tongue circling around him.

"John, please…your mouth."

John took Punk's moaned direction and started bobbing his head shallowly, his hand encircling the base. Punk whimpered lightly at being denied what he knew John's talented mouth was capable of. This wasn't John being coy or teasing, it was something else entirely. Punk propped himself up on his elbows, watching John pleasure him, seeing John's reddening lips stretched around his cock was a mesmerizing sight. Punk couldn't stop himself, he needed so much more than John was giving him, so Punk palmed the back of John's head and applied pressure, causing John's mouth to slide further down his cock. John's hand left the base of his cock, Punk pushing John's head down even further until John's mouth had reached the base. Punk rolled his hips, sliding his cock in and out of John's mouth. There were no hands to halt his movements; John seemed more than happy to have Punk directing him completely. Punk began to move quickly, John letting him fuck his mouth gladly, if the moans vibrating along his cock were anything to go by. Punk bucked his hips forcefully a few times until he was coming down John's throat, John drinking down everything Punk had to give.

Punk sat up, pulling John's clothes off slowly, savoring the sight of John's muscled body as Punk stripped him down. Punk pulled John to the bed, John's larger frame engulfing Punk's body, lying skin to skin along the length of their bodies. Punk moved his legs to wrap around John's waist but John rolled them over until Punk was perched in John's lap. John moved his arms up above his head, giving Punk full reign to do as he wished. Punk lifted his hips up, sliding down John's cock until John was fully sheathed inside him. Punk slid up and down John's length, rolling his hips until he found the right angle that stimulated his prostate with every gyration. Punk moved with abandon, John laying beneath him, letting Punk use his body for his pleasure. John's hands were fisting the sheets, his chest heaving with the self-imposed denial of laying his hands on Punk. Punk could feel his muscles tightening, knowing he was approaching his orgasm rapidly. He clenched his muscles around John, determined to bring John over the edge with him.

"Phil…god…" and Punk could feel John coming deep inside him. Punk rocked his hips sharply and came over John's chest and stomach. Punk leaned down, pressing their bodies together and kissed John deeply, still able to taste himself in John's mouth. John obviously couldn't take any more torture and fisted his hands in Punk's hair, keeping their mouths fused together. They kissed intensely for a few minutes until Punk rolled to John's side.

"I think we both need a shower," Punk said, getting up and with John rising rapidly to follow Punk. They washed each other thoroughly. John seemed determined to leave Punk with no doubt that he was fiercely loved, John dropping to his knees in the shower and getting Punk off again. Punk had already come twice before and he was still sensitive, the pleasure flirting with pain. John had given himself so freely to Punk and he was sure the memory would get him through their days apart.

Punk should be overjoyed but he was disgusted with himself when the thought occurred to him that he had just been placated with sex.

**January 7, 2012**

The next day Punk and John went their separate ways, both of them booked with media appearances and autograph signings that took place on different sides of the country. Punk knew that Ryder was one the same schedule as John. Logic told him not to worry because John could be trusted, but his distrust of Ryder couldn't stop him from hoping that they were sleeping in separate rooms.

They finally reunited for the series of house shows and to Punk's disgust, John and Ryder seemed to have only grown closer. Ryder accompanied John out to the ring for his matches against Kane like some sort of valet. Ryder's presence at ringside only served to make John even more protective of Ryder because Kane seemed content to give Ryder chair shots than to win the matches. Punk started to wonder if this was all a calculation on Ryder's part to keep John focused on him and his welfare.

Punk could only tolerate Ryder so much everyday, so by lunchtime he was so sick of him that he wandered off alone. He had taken to hanging out with Kofi and Alex Riley, making repeated phone calls to Melina until he was sure she was sick of the sound of his voice, and spending more time in the gym than he ever had in his life.

Luckily Punk's week was blessedly Ziggler free which left him facing the Miz which was a hell of a lot easier than it had been in the past. Miz had half his mind on the match and the other looking over his shoulder for Truth. Miz was right to be paranoid because Truth took the opportunity to ambush Miz in the ring at every turn. Punk didn't mind losing by disqualification because it was quite entertaining to watch Truth thrash Miz all the while talking about Little Jimmy and all sorts of crazy nonsense. Truth might be sick in the head but the man was entertaining.

An additional downside was that Chris Jericho was also touring with them. Jericho had apparently gone mute and spent his time alone. At least he got a laugh at his expense when Otunga came out and banned his new strobe light jacket because it could cause epileptic seizures. Otunga got put in the Walls of Jericho for his trouble but beyond that Jericho wasn't wrestling; he was just prancing around ringside. He was sure Jericho was just biding his time, but for what?

Between Jericho and Ryder Punk would be lucky if he didn't end up just as paranoid as Miz.

**January 9, 2012**

_Monday Night Raw_

When they entered the arena in Corpus Christi the first road agent they encountered was Dave whom he considered one of the more sympathetic road agents. He revealed Laurinaitis' plans for the evening, Punk facing Jack Swagger with some sort of stipulation and John would be facing Ziggler. Punk was again relegated to the top of the hour and John vs. Ziggler would be the main event. Not only was John taking his spot in the main event, it was being shared by Ziggler, the #1 Contender to his title. If he could be any more slighted he couldn't figure out how.

The show began with Kane in the ring. Kane compared the shortcomings of the audience to John's. Kane had obviously not been watching the show in his time off because there was no better way to set the crowd off than by comparing them to someone they loathed. John obviously could take no more when he strided purposefully toward the arena entrance to face Kane.

John entered the arena, running down the ramp and began brawling with Kane. The brawl quickly left the ring and spilled down the entrance ramp, through the hallway, and into what looked like a loading dock.

Punk was distracted from John battling with Kane when a pair of legs dropped into his lap. Punk looked down and saw his own kick pads. He kept pushing Ziggler's legs off his lap but Ziggler kept moving them back.

"Take my kick pads off you fucking kleptomaniac."

"Why? They look so good on me."

"Is there anything you aren't above stealing?"

"Well, you can keep your precious Cena, he's so nice and sweet he makes my teeth rot. I don't know how you can stomach it. So I hear you're going to be taking on Swagger tonight."

"Yeah, and let me guess, the whole posse is going to be in attendance. Guess you'll be going back to your position as a cheerleader."

"You're just jealous because no one will have your back. What's wrong, Cena too busy playing with Ryder to care about you? Maybe you need a cheerleader of your own."

"If I had one he would be cute and male and not a horse-faced harpy like Vickie."

"Cute and male, huh? So sorry, but I'm already booked for that match."

Ziggler looked up and stood, bending over at the waist. He slipped off the kick pads and tossed them into Punk's lap.

"I'll see you later on tonight. And by the way, you should probably get those cleaned; you have no idea what I got up to while I had them on."

Punk looked up and watched as Ziggler passed John, smirking at him as he passed.

"What the hell was that all about? I walk into the monitor bay and find him wearing your gear and practically sitting in your lap," John said, obviously pissed off.

"It's just Ziggler's version of mind games."

"Mind games is what Kane plays with me, you don't see him walking around in my clothes."

"No, Kane just likes to steal them. Ziggler's just fucking with me; he's not initiating parking lot brawls or anything. He knows I'm backed into a corner with this match with Swagger. 3 against 1 aren't exactly great odds when all 3 don't care how they come by a win as long as they do."

He and John were watching the show from the monitor bay, when a camera caught Ryder on the phone to his father. Ryder switched from being scared out of his mind at running into Kane again then changed his tune when Eve showed up. John looked meaningfully at Punk when Ryder asked Eve out. John obviously felt that the interlude between Eve and Ryder proved that Ryder didn't have any intentions toward him. Punk saw it another way entirely. Ryder was all smiles when Eve was there but the second she walked away the happy face he had put on for Eve was wiped off his face. The second John saw Kane stalking Ryder John left his seat next to Punk to go track down Ryder.

It was finally time for his match and he made his way to the arena entrance just in time to see Swagger, Ziggler and Vickie entering the arena. At least he was entering last this time and not playing second fiddle to his opponent. He entered the ring to massive applause. His entrance was cut short when Laurinaitis entered the arena. Laurinaitis announced that the stipulation was that if he beat Swagger, Swagger and Vickie would be banned from ringside at the Royal Rumble. Laurinaitis certainly wasn't doing this out of the goodness of his heart. Laurinaitis wasn't stupid enough to believe that Swagger could actually beat him so he was basically handing over a match at the Royal Rumble made fairer by the absence of Ziggler's posse.

Swagger had skills but not quite enough to beat him. What was strange was that Vickie's shrewish voice could be heard through the entire match but Ziggler remained silent, which was completely out of character for him. He and Swagger traded offense but Punk got the upper hand a hit an elbow drop from the top rope. He went for the pin and felt Swagger get his shoulder up and immediately went to lock in the Anaconda Vise.

He stopped when he heard his music blare through the arena. What the fuck was going on, the match wasn't over. He looked over at the official who indicated to him that he had pinned Swagger which he damn well knew he hadn't. Although he was now getting the outcome he wanted, he didn't want it this way. Punk was incensed. He couldn't decide whether it was just an inept official or if Laurinaitis had something to do with it. Punk needing the help of an incompetent official to win a match made him look like he couldn't get it done in the ring. The opposing side made clear that they believed Punk had an ill-gotten win. Punk was humiliated because now his ability was going to be called into question.

He went straight to the locker room and into the shower trying to calm himself down so he didn't kick the head off the first person to speak to him. Punk returned to the monitor bay and found John absent. John eventually showed back up and said he had been with Ryder. John had blown off watching his match so he could be with Ryder? Punk couldn't even make himself care when Jericho went out to the ring and went on a crying jag.

Eve's match never even started when Kane's music began playing. Ryder raced to the ring and grabbed Eve by the hand and led her to his car which had a flat tire. Punk didn't need to hazard a guess who was responsible for that. He hoped Kane showed back up and beat Ryder down with the tire iron Ryder had no idea how to use. Punk couldn't get in the main event but Ryder trying to change a tire was vital news. John didn't show up on screen during any of this. He must have missed it all on his walk to the arena entrance for his match with Ziggler.

The match started and it was obvious that John's mind was elsewhere. Ziggler was easily owning John and Punk wasn't surprised in the slightest when John abandoned the match to go help Ryder after the big screen showed Ryder in peril. John had the opportunity to get his hands on the guy that had been driving Punk crazy and he just blew it off for Ryder.

John walked right into Kane's clutches, probably having no idea that Kane had thrown Ryder off the loading bay into some wooden pallets a few feet down. Kane choked out John exactly as he had done in previous weeks. John would no doubt come to and find Ryder laid out a few feet below where he had been laying. Punk left the arena knowing that John would probably be at the hospital all night with Ryder and there was no reason to wait for him.

Punk checked in at the hotel and went up to his room. He stripped down to his boxers to get ready for bed. He wasn't going to stay up all night waiting for John just to hear about the welfare of Ryder. There was a knock on the door. Punk foolishly hoped it was John but was vastly mistaken when Ziggler pushed his way into his hotel room. Ziggler flopped down on the bed, stretching out on his side.

"What the hell is wrong with you? Get the hell off my bed and out of my hotel room."

"Why? Aren't you up for a little company, Cena's not going to be back for hours."

"If I needed company you would be the last person on my list."

"Aww, you don't really mean that. I could name a ton of guys you would like to see less than me."

"Shouldn't you be crying in a corner somewhere since your posse won't be accompanying you to ringside at the Royal Rumble?"

"That just means that I'll have you all to myself, I actually rather it that way. Do you always entertain visitors in your underwear?"

Punk looked down and realized he was barely clothed and put on his jeans and tee, not that it really mattered because he showed more skin when he was in the ring.

"Don't you have anything better to do than play mind games with me?"

"I don't need to do that, Cena's got you more fucked up in the head than anything I could possibly accomplish."

"Shut up!"

"What? You think the roster doesn't see what's going on. You two make your relationship known and the next week Cena barely knows you're alive. You'd be much better off if you just threw him over before he replaces you with Ryder. I think you should start reevaluating your options."

"You know nothing about me and John's relationship."

"Oh don't I? He's trading you in for a younger model and you don't even see it because your loyalty is so misplaced. He's got you waiting, practically naked in his hotel room, but he's off with Zack Ryder somewhere. Most people would probably say that Cena's choice means that you're not very much of an attraction, but I think that it doesn't say very much for Cena's intelligence."

"If you don't leave now I'm going to pull every one of those bleached strands of hair out of your head."

"Fine, Fine. No need to damage the merchandise," Ziggler got up and brushed past Punk on his way to the door. "I'm back on the house show circuit this week; we'll be facing each other almost every day."

"And every day you're going to end the match on your back."

"You make losing sound so enjoyable," and Ziggler walked out the door, Punk slamming the door behind him.

_AN: I have been dying to write Dolph Ziggler for a while now and the WWE played right into my hands. Ziggler is my favorite wrestler behind Punk. Get ready for some angsty turbulence because this is going to be a VERY bumpy ride. Hope you're ready…_


	11. Chapter 11

Punk stared at the door he had just slammed in Ziggler's face. Punk knew he was rather myopic when it came to other people being attracted to him but coyness didn't seem to be a personality trait of Ziggler's. He would like to say that Ziggler was out of his mind but the last time flirting and fighting had been combined he ended up dating John. Punk pulled his clothes back off and climbed into bed. He lay awake for a while trying to figure out what to do next. He tried to stay up and wait for John but he kept nodding off. He decided that he would tell John about Ziggler in the morning.

Punk awoke the next morning pushed to the edge of the mattress so far that he was surprised he hadn't fallen off the bed. Punk sat up and couldn't believe his eyes. He pinched himself foolishly hoping that he was in the middle of a nightmare. No such luck. John was sleeping in the middle of the bed and on his other side was Ryder who was snuggled into John's side. Feeling particularly homicidal, Punk was tempted to grab the lamp next to him and bash Ryder over the head with it. Punk was so shocked that John had allowed this he felt like bashing him over the head as well.

Their flight didn't leave till later in the day so Punk quickly pulled on some workout clothes to head to the gym, he had to get out of the room. Maybe the combination of a few miles on the treadmill and some brutal heavy metal music would help curb his violent mood. Punk turned a few miles but it didn't seem to be helping. He was sure John had some well-meaning explanation but there was nothing that John could say to make the situation all right. All of a sudden the treadmill shut down and Punk jumped to the edges to keep from falling off the back of the conveyor belt. He looked around and realized he had company. Ziggler was standing by the wall with an electrical cord dangling from his hand.

"What the fuck! Are you stalking me or something?"

"Maybe just a little bit. I'm being forced to expend a lot more effort than I usually have to."

"Shouldn't you take that as a sign that you should stop whatever you're up to?"

"No. I see it as the exact opposite. I'm finding that the chase is much more satisfying than instant gratification."

"This isn't a game. I'm not some prize to be won."

"I think you're not giving yourself nearly enough credit."

"Keep this up and you're going to find yourself on the wrong side of John."

"If you were going to tell lover boy you would have long ago. Let's go get a coffee."

"Have you gone mental?"

"Come on, I'm charming and entertaining and eye candy. What does Cena have besides his looks? I bet you can't name the last time he even came close to engaging you mentally."

Punk was having trouble remembering the last time John had engaged him in anything; his focus was on Ryder which didn't leave much time for him. Punk felt jealous and betrayed and still slightly violent over what he had seen in their hotel room. He could use some time away from the hotel of horrors and Ziggler was at least entertaining. Punk knew that the words about to come out of his mouth were so very wrong but they came out anyway.

"Fine, let's go."

"Really?"

"I said yes didn't I? Let's go before my moral compass kicks in."

"Morality is never an emotion I've ever caused in anyone."

Punk and Ziggler walked down a couple of blocks until they came to a coffee shop and a brief shoving match broke out when Ziggler insisted on paying. The cashier must be a hopeless romantic because one smile from Ziggler and she completely ignored the money Punk was holding out.

"This is not a date."

"Says you. I just paid therefore this is officially a date. Considering we've already gotten to the groping level of physical relations I'd say that it's about time we went out on a date and you rendered yourself respectable. You wouldn't want me to think you're easy would you?"

"Exactly how have you come to this ludicrous theory?"

"We've been rolling around practically naked for weeks. I've had my hands all over your body and trust me when I say I enjoyed every minute of that."

"We were fighting for god's sake. Enough of this. What exactly is your angle here?"

"To get you naked and so turned on your eyes cross."

"I am so out of here," Punk made to stand up but Ziggler grabbed him by the wrist and wouldn't let go.

"What did you think that you could just come out and no one would care? Sure, no one is giving you hell about being gay because half of them think they've got a chance to get a piece of your sweet ass. Lucky for me I'm the most calculating of the bunch and got there first."

"You're not anywhere."

"Just keep thinking that. I know what my attractions are and I know I'm just your type. You want to cheat, you want to tell the fans to go fuck themselves, then do it. Cena might give you a sermon on the mount for behaving like that but I'll reward you for your dastardly behavior. I've never gotten a bad review; I've been told I'm quite talented with my mouth."

"Fuck you."

"Is that a request because I'm sure there's a lock on the bathroom door?"

Punk finally jerked his hand out of Ziggler's grasp and quickly walked back to the hotel. He was feeling guilty as hell for even agreeing to go anywhere with Ziggler, never mind the conversation that they had, but when Punk opened the hotel room door, every guilty feeling faded to nothing. John was walking around in nothing but a towel and Ryder was flipping through the stations on the TV. It looked so easy and familiar that Punk thought he might throw up. He was losing John piece by piece and there was nothing he could do to stop it. Punk jerked his head toward the bathroom and John followed him in. He locked the door behind him and turned on the faucet. The last thing he wanted was delighting Ryder with him and John having a domestic.

"Is there any explanation you can give me to explain what I woke up to this morning?"

"Zack had a panic attack at the hospital last night. I didn't want to leave him in his room all alone."

"And when you woke up did you notice that Ryder was all over you?"

"He was just so scared. It's not surprising that he latched on. He was really embarrassed by it this morning."

"Either you're seriously gullible or he deserves an Oscar. How long is this situation expected to last for?"

"Until he…"

"Until he what…gets you balls deep in his ass!"

"Phil!"

"I'd rather be staying in a hotel in a different zip code but infidelity won't be so easy with your boyfriend on one side and your new piece of ass on the other."

"Phil, I would never…"

"But he would in a heartbeat."

"I don't know what I've done to make you lose trust in me."

"Then you haven't been paying attention at all. I need to take a shower. If you want a quickie try to finish up before I get out."

**January 15, 2012**

Punk's current living conditions were downright unbearable. Ryder had yet to vacate their room during the stretch of house shows and Punk's suspicious mind made it impossible for him to even consider leaving John and Ryder alone. Ryder must really be turning in a tour de force performance because he wasn't even scheduled for the house shows due to his so-called injury. He was just tagging along and making his life a living hell.

John obviously wasn't paying the same attention to him because Punk could not understand how John had not caught on to what was happening around him. Everyone else booked for the house shows seemed more than aware that something was going on between him and Ziggler. Ziggler had started to pick the alcove next to him to change, feeling Ziggler's eyes on him while he was changing. Ziggler was so busy using their matches as a way to put his hands on Punk in a manner that was definitely not the way of an opponent that Ziggler was clearly forgetting about the winning part. House shows didn't exactly figure into one's win-loss ratio and Ziggler had obviously adopted that philosophy. Apparently the GTS was now considered a come on.

Punk had never shirked off of work in his life but he was seriously considering faking an injury and absenting himself from his current hell, John and the Championship be damned.

**January 16, 2012**

_Monday Night Raw_

Punk walked into the arena in Anaheim and it wasn't the usual ego killing situation he had been facing the past couple of weeks. He was surprised to find out that he had made a return to main event status. He would be tagging with Daniel and of course his opponents were Ziggler and Henry. Punk just hoped that Ziggler's antics from the house shows would not carry over to Raw.

Punk was sitting next to John in the monitor bay but they might as well be sitting on opposite sides of the room. Communication between them had completely broken down. It was as if they had already been broken in half and no amount of effort could put them back together. Punk had gone from pissed to sullen to despondent in a week. Mick Foley walked out to the ring and Punk settled in for something that would at least lift his spirits. Foley was always good for a laugh.

Foley proposed himself as an entrant into the Royal Rumble but was interrupted by Vickie and Ziggler. Ziggler was dressed in a horrendous hot pink shirt and the most pathetic attempt at a ponytail that he had ever seen. Ziggler was obviously a person who made questionable choices, his pursuit of himself included. It finally occurred to Punk that beating Ziggler up didn't deter him but perhaps a debilitating verbal beat down would work better. Punk got up and made his way to the ring entrance, entering at the conclusion of Ziggler's tirade. He got in a few shots at Ziggler but somehow found himself in a bitch fight with Vickie. Thankfully, before Punk could demean himself any more, Laurinaitis' grating voice sounded through the arena. After prevaricating for a few minutes Laurinaitis finally refused Foley's request to be in the Royal Rumble. Vicky walked up to Foley and started cackling in his face.

"Seriously, how do you put up with that? I think my eardrums are bleeding."

"Maybe, but you have no idea how effective it is. How about after the match tonight, you come back to my hotel room, loser has to…"

"What!"

Punk and Ziggler both looked at Vickie who was looking between them with a scandalized look on her face.

"That's all yours, see ya!" and Punk left the ring. What he didn't count on was how fast Vickie could move in a pair of heels. He felt her fake nails dig painfully into his arm and she practically threw him and Ziggler into an empty room. Punk made to leave and then reconsidered. Vickie was going to go all banshee on him at some point, better a deserted room than the monitor bay. He started cracking up when Vickie slapped Ziggler on the head.

"What are you doing! You're supposed to be hitting him, not hitting on him!"

"Vickie, listen…"

"No, I will not listen! And you! Do you think you can keep your Championship by prostituting yourself out to the competition!"

"Wait, are you prostituting yourself out, because if you are I'll promise to go easy on you," Ziggler said with a smirk in Punk's direction.

"Dolph, for crying out loud, John Cena…"

"John Cena won't do a damn thing."

"Did you two forget you're supposed to be fighting each other, not scheduling secret trysts."

"Vickie, I won't be trysting with anyone, least of all Dolph."

"You called me Dolph; does that mean I can call you Phil?"

"Jesus Christ Dolph, snap the hell out of it," Vickie said angrily, Ziggler not bending to her will as he usually did.

"Listen you harpy, I'm not going anywhere near you precious Dolph so don't worry about fitting him for a chastity belt. Feel free to continue on without me," and Punk walked back into the hallway just in time to see Swagger emerge from the arena, US Championship in hand.

"Did you just…"

"That's right Punk; I'm the new US Champion."

Punk walked up to Swagger and shook his hand, "Nice job Swagger, congratulations."

"You're a slut CM Punk," he heard Vickie screech at his back as he walked down the hallway. He just flipped her off and kept walking. Punk was perversely happy that Ryder had lost his Championship even though he would probably use it as an excuse to hang all over John in his misery.

He found Daniel waiting for him when he entered the monitor bay. He didn't even bother looking for John, knowing he was off somewhere consoling Ryder after his loss.

"We've got a problem."

"When is there ever not a problem?"

"Otunga has been added to our match," Daniel said, obviously not leading with the actual issue.

"It's a handicap match now?"

"No, we've picked up another partner."

"Who has Laurinaitis saddled us with?"

"Chris Jericho."

"Stop fucking with me Daniel."

"Punk! Language! He's a good wrestler."

"But has he wrestled since he's been back, better yet has he even spoken? The answer to both questions is no. I hope he gets electrocuted by his own sparkly jacket on the way to the ring."

John finally showed up on screen, storming into Laurinaitis' office irate that Ryder had defended his title without being medically cleared. Laurinaitis defended himself by saying he hadn't read the doctor's report until after the match was already over. He could tell Laurinaitis was lying through his teeth, but at the moment Punk just wanted to give the man a hug. Laurinaitis responded by scheduling a match for John against Swagger. Before Punk could start his mental tirade against Ryder in his head he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. He took it out and slid his thumb across the bottom to retrieve the message.

Punk stared at his phone in shock and then in abject hatred. The message had come from an unknown number but Punk could give a fuck who had sent it. The message was a photo of John sitting next to Ryder in an empty room. John's hand was on Ryder's bare knee and Ryder was leaning into John, looking at him with a love-struck expression, their lips a breath or two away from kissing. Punk stared at the photo until his hand started to cramp at how tightly he was gripping his phone. Punk jumped up and hurled his phone at the wall, the phone breaking into pieces. Punk felt a hand on his shoulder and jerked at the contact. He whipped around to find John and Ryder.

"Phil…what…"

"Don't you fucking 'Phil' me," Punk pushed John and rocked the man back on his feet. "And you Ryder…" Punk cocked his arm back and blasted Ryder across the jaw, sending him sprawling to the floor. "You want him, you can have him," Punk spit out and stormed out of the monitor bay with the entire roster watching with slack jawed expressions.

Punk found himself in catering and slumped down into a seat, dropping his head down onto his folded arms. He was about ten seconds away from bursting into tears and wished he could just cut out early so he could go on a crying jag, but trust this Raw to be the first one in a while when he was in the main event.

He collected himself and returned to the monitor bay, ignoring the stares being sent his way. He caught the tail end of John going postal on Swagger. John was defending his new boyfriend's honor. He felt like throwing up...again. The sick feeling in his stomach started to give way to anger. By the time Daniel retrieved him from the monitor bay with a silent Jericho in tow Punk was ready to rip someone limb from limb. Their team found themselves in trouble and Punk made the hot tag to Jericho who got into the ring, pranced around as per usual, tagged Daniel back in and left the arena. It only got better when Daniel too left the arena with Henry hot on his heels. Punk knew he was done for until Foley showed up out of nowhere; telling Punk he had been approved as a replacement and Punk tagged him in.

Foley took Otunga down with Mr. Socko in hand for the Mandible Claw. Punk didn't even get the chance to celebrate the impossible win when Laurinaitis came down the ramp. Laurinaitis announced that Foley was not legal in the match. Foley assured Punk he was and Punk had no doubt he was telling the truth, Laurinaitis had found yet another way to screw him and reversed the decision. Punk had reached the end of his rope and Laurinaitis was going to get the full brunt of anger.

He ripped the mic out of Laurinaitis' hand and started yelling, yanking at Laurinaitis' tie and lapels. Punk tore into Laurinaitis more than he had ever done before. He was relentless, wanting someone to feel as small as he felt at the moment. He cocked his hand back to punch Laurinaitis who practically tripped over his own feet, he flinched so hard.

He was walking past the monitor bay when he picked up Laurinaitis' voice, "You want to know if I'm going to screw CM Punk? You're damn right I will!"

Let Laurinaitis screw him at the Royal Rumble; it would just be the last straw in a series of fucked up events that had befallen him. He went to the locker room, took a quick shower and grabbed his things and headed to the hotel. He had to get a new room because no way was he going back to the room he shared with John and Ryder, that snake in the grass. He entered his room, not even bothering to turn the light on, stripped out of his clothes and fell face forward on the bed. Finally alone, lying in the dark, Punk was surprised when the tears didn't come. Everything had fallen apart in the course of two hours and it left Punk emotionally cold. He felt his eyes getting heavy. Maybe if he went to sleep he would wake up the next morning and this would all be a nightmare.

Punk awoke slowly, the feeling of a warm body pressed to his back and an arm slung around his waist. He relaxed into the body behind him and then his eyes shot open. He had gotten a new room last night, abandoning the room he and John shared. Punk sat up and looked beside him.

"What the fuck!"

"Do you always wake up like that because it's sort of jarring first thing in the morning?"

Punk looked at Ziggler in shock, "How the hell did you get in my room!"

"You should have locked the connecting door before you fell asleep."

"And you just go into random people's rooms at night while they're sleeping?"

"Of course not. I knew it was your room. I knew you'd be looking for alternate accommodations last night and I paid the desk clerk to put you in the room connected to mine."

"And how did you know I'd need a new room?"

"Haven't you figured it out yet, I'm the one that sent you that photo."

"Out of the goodness of your heart I'm sure."

"Goodness had nothing to do with it. It was purely for my own benefit."

"Ziggler, get the fuck out of my room before I commit justifiable homicide."

"Fine, see if I ever do you any favors again," and Ziggler walked through the connecting door back into his own room.

Punk followed him to lock the door behind him when there was a knock on his door.

"What!"

It was John, eyes red-rimmed, looking like he hadn't slept at all.

"I finally convinced the manager to tell me what room you were in. Whatever I did I'll fix it. You want Ryder gone, he's gone. Please, just come back to…"

And John's words cut off, John looking over his shoulder in shock. Punk didn't need to turn around to know what John was seeing.


	12. Chapter 12

Punk refused to turn around. He couldn't tear his eyes away from John, his hurt showing all over his face. He felt a chin rest on his shoulder and an arm wrap around his waist.

"I have no idea why you look like someone died; you were the one kissing Zack Ryder last night at Raw. I got an awesome shot of the tender moment, and then forwarded it to Phil of course. You say you're Mr. 'Hustle, Loyalty, Respect,' which is a joke by the way because you seem to be only able to manage one of out the three. You were definitely hustling something last night," Ziggler said viciously, making John's face crumple more.

"Phil, I don't know what he told you or what you saw but I didn't kiss Zack last night, I would never, I love you."

"Oh Cena, you really are a liar. What did you think would happen when you put Phil on the shelf for Ryder, that no one else would want him? You let him go a long time ago, which I thank you for, wholeheartedly."

"Phil?"

"Get the hell off me Ziggler," Punk said shrugging out of Ziggler's embrace. "Ziggler's insane but exactly right. He sent me a picture of you and Ryder, both of you way past the line for physical contact for someone you said was just a friend. You stopped caring about me a long time ago and replaced me with Ryder. I was just stupid enough to hang around and be treated like crap."

"So you and Ziggler…" John forced out, practically in tears.

"No, not that it should matter to you, but I forgot to lock the adjoining door and he snuck in here last night."

"I don't care what happened last night, I'll forgive you anything, just come with me now," John begged, stepping forward and placing his hand on Punk's hip, holding tight to the skin that had his name etched on Punk's skin.

Punk was seconds from giving in when he saw Vickie walk past the open door and turn her head to scope out the situation. Punk heard her footsteps stop and she backed up to stare into the room, her face turning red.

"Didn't I tell you last night to stay away from each other! You two should be fighting, not fucking!"

"Wait…last night…when?" John asked quietly.

"You should have heard them in the ring during the Foley incident, like they were on a date, not out there to humiliate each other like they're supposed to be doing!"

"Phil, you said…"

"Oh, he's just being nice and not calling you the cheating bastard you are. The truth is that when you stepped out on Phil I stepped right into the place you willingly vacated. Nothing went on behind your back, ask anyone on the roster, they all know. You were just too blinded by your sickening love for Ryder to notice that you had…you know what; I won't even call it competition. I'm his perfect match. Take away your looks and there's not much there. You could have never kept him interested in the long run you fucking boy scout."

"That is fucking it! Ziggler, stop calling me Phil and get the hell out of my room and take your shrieking harpy with you. John, go back to Ryder, you chose him over me long ago and I'm not going to take one more minute of being second place in your affections."

"You know what Phil, fuck you too! Zack and I are just friends and I can't help it if you're too insecure to handle that. I did nothing wrong while you've apparently been running around with Ziggler and it seems the entire roster knows what a fool I've been for you, trusting you to stay true when you've never been loyal to anything in your life. Ziggler's going to screw you over and break your heart and if he makes you feel like I do right now you'll fucking deserve it!"

John turned away and Punk slammed the door behind him. His room was now Vickie and Ziggler free. He locked the adjoining door and pulled the dresser in front of it for good measure. Punk collapsed on the floor and this time the tears came freely. He knew he wasn't wrong about Ryder having an ulterior motive of some sort but it was John's angry words that wounded him the most. Punk knew John gave him a pass for some of his less than admirable characteristics, but the words John assaulted him with proved that his failings were never far from John's mind. Punk had left John because of his attentions to Ryder but John's reasons were due to Punk's failings as a person. Punk was disloyal except where John was concerned and no amount of John's reassurances ever convinced Punk that one day John would come to his senses and realize that he wasn't worthy of him.

John's conjectures about him and Ziggler were patently untrue, but John had come to believe they were based solely on Ziggler's comments. Punk should have told John that Ziggler was completely delusional but the whole situation had shocked Punk into silence and Ziggler had filled that silence with damning comments that made him look like he and Ziggler were carrying on some grand affair. Punk knew he should have just punched Ziggler in the face the first time Ziggler showed interest but again his insecurities concerning John allowed Ziggler to get closer to him, more than Punk should have ever allowed. He and John had completely fallen apart and there was no way to recover what they once had.

**January 22, 2012**

Punk had unwillingly picked up a new sidekick in Kofi Kingston. Kofi had knocked on his door about 15 minutes after the altercation in the hallway. Kofi said it was to bring him the pieces of his phone that he had smashed at Raw but when Punk realized that Kofi's room was across the hallway from his, he knew the man had probably had a front row seat to his emotional devastation. Kofi's usual sunny personality was absent due to his abrupt demotion after Evan had been suspended yet again for a wellness violation. They had lost the tag titles and Kofi was quickly fading into obscurity. Their strange friendship had resulted in Punk's crying jags ceasing and Kofi was getting used to the idea that if he wanted to regain his footing in the WWE, he would have to take it all upon himself and not rely on people like Laurinaitis to advance his career.

What also helped was the absence of John, Ryder and Ziggler. While he wasn't forced to see John and Ryder together, that didn't stop Punk from having nightmares about what the two of them were off doing. Punk wished that he had never bought a new cell phone. His SIM card was salvageable so the picture of John and Ryder was always only a few clicks away. He was also dodging calls from both Ziggler and Randy. He couldn't deal with Ziggler and his flirting and he was avoiding Randy because while they were friends, he was John's friend first. He didn't need Randy telling him how stupid he was, when Randy had been absent and not seen the dangerous relationship happening between John and Ryder, but there was always one number that he could call no matter the situation or time.

"Phil, what the fuck is up with this picture you just sent me. Tell me John has some valid reason to be 2 seconds away from kissing that spiky haired stalker," Melina said, as incensed as Punk was when he saw the picture for the first time.

"You think the picture is bad, I was ready to kill when I woke up only to find Ryder in bed with us plastered to John's side."

"Is Ryder trying to get himself killed?"

"Not when John is playing knight in shining armor to his damsel in distress."

"How much do you think it costs to have someone killed?"

"I have the money but I don't think I can bring the belt with me to court when I get indicted for conspiracy to commit capital murder."

"You could always just lay a vicious beating on him."

"Ryder would just love that. He'd probably just lay back and take it, knowing it would drive the last nail in the coffin of John's and my relationship."

"Then don't do it yourself."

"I'm supposed to just walk up to someone on the roster and ask them to kick Ryder's ass? That doesn't sound like a favor anyone would be willing to do for me."

"I think you're missing the obvious…Kane."

"You want me to plot with the guy who choked out John repeatedly. That's crazy."

"Crazy enough to work."

**January 23, 2012**

_Monday Night Raw_

Punk arrived early at the arena in Phoenix. He hadn't decided whether or not to feed Ryder to Kane. He had done some dastardly things in the past but plotting with a psycho like Kane seemed a bit beyond the pale.

He wasn't the only person that had elected to show up early for Raw. He walked into the locker room to find John with Ryder in the alcove next to him. John quickly turned his attention away from the door he had just walked through. He was concentrating on the locker in front of him like it held the keys to the universe. With John's back turned Ryder took the opportunity to smirk at him.

That was fucking it. Melina's plan was so on. He was too distracted thinking about Ryder coughing up bone shards that he neglected to notice someone else had entered the locker room.

"So did you miss me," Ziggler said, leaning against the locker closest to his, invading his personal space.

"Not in the slightest. How do you keep showing up everywhere I go? Do you have me low jacked or something," Punk responded, not even sparing Ziggler a glance.

"I have my ways."

"Are you mentally deficient or something? We are fighting each other at the Royal Rumble in 6 days."

"Which I fully intend to win, but don't worry, I'll kiss all your wounds better. You won't even remember you lost the match until the morning after."

Punk turned to face Ziggler to tell him to back the fuck off. Ziggler stared at him steadily for a moment before rushing forward, wrapping his arms around Punk's neck and pulling him into a kiss. Punk pushed Ziggler off him, hearing the locker room door slam. He looked to the other side of the room where Ryder was alone and smirking at him yet again.

"You're making this so easy," and Ryder left the locker room, probably to hunt down John and inflame the situation even more.

Punk turned back to Ziggler to find the man staring at him with an odd expression Punk couldn't label.

"Are you trying to ruin my life!"

"No, I'm trying to improve it exponentially," Ziggler said with a smile, stepping into Punk's personal space again. "Let me kiss you again, I know you liked it, how could you not."

"If you don't get out of this locker room in ten seconds I'm going to punch you so hard in the mouth you won't be kissing anyone for months."

"Fine. We'll be seeing each other tonight, I guarantee it."

After Ziggler left Punk pulled on his gear and then pulled his street clothes over them. He walked through the arena to find the guys who could tell him where he could find Kane…the pyro guys.

"I need to know where to find Kane."

"Why should we tell you Punk?"

"Because I need to speak to him. Do you see me carrying around a weapon or anything; I just need to have a brief conversation with him."

The pyro guys gave him a room number, probably thinking they were sending Punk to his certain death. He found the room in a practically abandoned area of the arena. He pushed the door open and Kane turned to face him.

"You were right. Ryder is the key to John embracing the hate. Demolish him and John won't be able to control his himself."

Punk watched as Kane gave him a sickening smile and Punk left the room. The guilt was already pressing upon him.

Punk returned to the monitor bay to find John sitting next to Ryder, Ryder whispering in John's ear. Punk took a seat near the back but he couldn't stand to watch them for one more second. He felt the need to embrace the hate himself and his favorite whipping boy was always available. Punk walked to the arena entrance, had his music queued up and entered the arena to the usual cheers, but he felt undeserving of them at the moment. The fans had no idea exactly how reprehensible he was.

He made his way to the ring and grabbed a mic, taking a seat in the middle of the ring. Punk straight up admitted to the crowd that Ziggler had beaten him 3 times in the past month, but it was Laurinaitis' interference that had made those 3 losses possible. He tore into Laurinaitis, calling him a failure at life. Punk hesitated before speaking again. Usually that was enough to bring Laurinaitis out to the ring. He kept going when it was obvious that Laurinaitis would not be making an appearance. He communicated his complete unsurprise that Laurinaitis intended to screw him out of the title at the Royal Rumble. He stood up, outright calling Laurinaitis to the ring.

The breath caught in his throat when John's music hit. John knew just what buttons to push, knowing Punk hated being interrupted mid tirade. John had a cruel smile on his face. Punk didn't think that Kane needed to push John much farther because he seemed to be doing a bang up job of embracing the hate all on his own. They hadn't faced off like this since Money in the Bank. Since Punk was positive that this confrontation wasn't going to lead to illicit kisses from John in his hotel room he fired the first shot.

"I can see how you are confused. I'm out here talking about a company man named John. I didn't want John the boy scout, I wanted John "nobody gives a crap about me" Laurinaitis."

"Sorry I was just sick of hearing you ramble. You're out here to talk; I'm out here to do business. Watch and learn."

That business of course would be the plight of Zack Ryder and the loss of his US Championship. Of course Laurinaitis would respond to John's summons but not his. Laurinaitis pulled out his usual shtick but then he shocked Punk to his core. Laurinaitis announced Ryder vs. Kane in a falls count anywhere match. He added that if John got involved Ryder would never get another US Championship match…ever. If he didn't know any better he would think that Laurinaitis was trying to get on his good side.

That didn't last for long when he also announced that he and John would be teaming up in a tag match. Of course the opponents that came out to take them on were Ziggler and Swagger. Both Swagger and Ziggler were smiling sadistically at John. Swagger no doubt wanted to pay John back for last week and Ziggler obviously just wanted to twist the knife a little deeper. Punk turned to John to see who would start the match but John wouldn't even acknowledge his existence. He just stepped out of the ring and let John take the lead, starting out against Ziggler. He could see Ziggler and John trading off verbal digs but he couldn't make out what they were saying. Ziggler got free of John and strutted in the ring, showing no respect for John, grinning at him as he tagged Swagger in.

He heard the crowd behind him yelling, the word bitch the most common epithet. He looked down; Vickie was standing a few feet away from him. Once she was sure she had his attention she mouthed the word "slut" at him. Punk just shook his head and returned his attention to the ring. John knocked Swagger to the ground with one punch and then mocked Ziggler's strutting, and then blasted Ziggler with a punch to the face, knocking him to the floor. Ziggler jumped back up, Swagger distracting the official, and blasted Cena right back. Swagger took advantage of John being stunned and began to beat him down.

John had an opportunity to tag out but continued to ignore him, preferring to take a beating than even touch him briefly to tag out. Ziggler was soon back in, doing sit up's next to John's prone body. John finally deigned to tag Punk in to face off against Ziggler. He was putting together a brutal series of offensive moves. The official was blocking the corner that Punk needed to ascend to drop a flying elbow. He moved the official out of the way and climbed up. He felt the ropes move and lost his footing on top of the turnbuckle. He jumped back into the ring to see Laurinaitis holding the ropes, yelling at him for putting his hands on an official. He grabbed Laurinaitis by the lapels and pushed him off the ring apron. Out of nowhere Ziggler rolled him up and could feel him grabbing his tights, enabling Ziggler to pin him yet again. He could see Laurinaitis walking back up the ramp. What set Punk off is when he turned around to smile at Punk. He needled Laurinaitis until the stupid man agreed to meet Punk in the ring that night. Finally, he was going to get his hands on Laurinaitis beyond the usual shove.

He finally looked around the ring and found John and Swagger standing by opposing turnbuckles. John just turned around without a look and made his way back up the ramp. Swagger turned his head to Punk and made to get in the ring and vent his anger on Punk. Ziggler barely inclined his head toward the ramp and began walking away, a confused Swagger and irate Vickie following him.

Punk made his way backstage to find Jericho standing at the gorilla position. Jericho gave him that lopsided sneer of his.

"Oh, shut the hell up Jericho. Oops, I forget you patented that phrase," and Punk continued to the locker room. He had a while until his match with Laurinaitis. He knew the man wouldn't place himself in anything but the main event. He undressed and made his way to the shower. He had his back to the door and turned around suddenly when he heard a whistle, he turned around quickly to find Ziggler, his eyes roaming all over his naked body.

"Could you stop perving on me and get the hell out of my locker room."

"What? You can't blame me for wanting to get a look at the ass I had my hands all over in the ring."

Punk quickly pulled the towel around his lower half and entered the main part of the locker room which was blessedly empty due to the roster being in the monitor bay.

"Can you get the fuck out of here so I can change?"

"Don't make me sweetheart. Do you want to know what your ex said about you in the ring? He called you a whore and said I was welcome to you. Now that we have Cena's blessing why don't we find a dark corner and let me put my hands all over you again."

"You're insane," Punk bit out, pulling his clothes on under his towel like he was in middle school gym again. He walked out the locker room, passing John entering at the same time. John caught sight of Ziggler in the locker room and pinned Punk with a scowl before turning and storming away. Punk continued to the monitor bay, taking a seat away from the rest of the roster. That didn't seem to help matters because everyone had been there for the altercation last week and then had seen the mess in the ring during the match. Punk ignored the stares and turned his attention to the monitor, unfortunately to see Jericho showing a video package of his greatest hits. If he managed to outwit Laurinaitis and keep his Championship Jericho was next on his list. He thought to himself that he just found his top pick to win the Rumble.

Next up was the match between Kane and Ryder. It was going to be a brutal, bloody affair, and Punk knew he had some small part in guaranteeing Ryder's beat down. Ryder came out, his ribs still taped from last week, the tape standing out like a target around his midsection. Punk watched as Kane viciously destroyed Ryder, feeling a little guilty for helping to assure another human be subjected to as much pain as possible. The fight was all over the ring area and ended up at the head of the ramp. Kane lifted Ryder up by his neck and choke slammed him through the ramp. Eve ran out in tears and he wondered if she would be so upset if she knew exactly how much she was being played. Of course John came out as well as Ryder was being loaded onto a stretcher. Seeing John so upset over that snake in the grass suppressed the guilt he was feeling. Eve berated John for being responsible for Ryder's injury. Josh Mathews tried to get a comment from John. John didn't speak, just stared into the camera with such a look of hatred on his face. Punk couldn't even watch anymore and lowered his eyes to the floor.

He lifted his eyes back to the screen when he heard Laurinaitis' voice. The man was shadow boxing in what appeared to be either a bathrobe or a choir robe. It immediately lifted his spirits. Otunga handed Laurinaitis a fax and the look on his face revealed that Laurinaitis was not pleased with its contents. Punk made his way to the ring entrance, the contents of the fax were on his mind, but foremost it was the chance to beat Laurinaitis into the ground. Punk entered the ring but they kept announcing Laurinaitis who wasn't appearing in the arena.

He finally showed up, sans choir robe, with Otunga who was carrying the mysterious fax. Laurinaitis grabbed a mic and gave it to Otunga to read the fax from the WWE Board of Directors to the fans. The Board was questioning Laurinaitis' judgment, mainly due to his assertion that he was going to screw Punk at the Rumble. He was going to receive a performance evaluation at the post-Rumble Raw by none other than Triple H. He was well aware of Hunter's feelings on Laurinaitis and knew that the Interim GM wouldn't hold that position for much longer. He stood there seething as Laurinaitis weaseled his way out of the match and then had the temerity to try to apologize to him. Punk couldn't take one more minute of this and that was when Laurinaitis sicced Otunga on him, who shortly was uselessly tapping out to the Anaconda Vise. Punk glared up venomously at Laurinaitis. He was truly at the end of his rope, and then Laurinaitis did the unthinkable, he held out his hand to Punk. Punk grabbed him by the hand and then hoisted Laurinaitis up and hit him with a particularly vicious GTS. Maybe he had just screwed himself out of his title, maybe his life had shot right to hell, but damn did that feel good. He never saw Ziggler coming as he was laid out by the Zig Zag.

Punk made his way to the hotel, the adrenaline and anger still running through his veins. Punk paced his room furiously. Looking back on Raw it had been dreadful. John's cruelness, Ryder's smugness and Ziggler's continued attentions had made it unbearable. What he was really appalled at was his actions at the end of the show. As awesome as GTS-ing Laurinaitis had felt, his rash actions had no doubt sealed his fate at the Royal Rumble. He had already lost John and on top of that he would be losing his title as well. Whatever interference Laurinaitis would perpetrate at least he would see Laurinaitis fired a scant 24 hours later. There was a knock on his door and Punk dreaded who he would find on the other side.

He opened the door only to be met with a pair of lips pressing against his. Punk pushed Ziggler away roughly.

"What the hell is wrong with you! You cheat, yet again, to get another win in your column and then you attack me from behind. What makes you think I would even consider being in the same room with you until the Royal Rumble much less let you kiss me!"

"I did humiliate John in the ring, I deserve a little something for that, and I was defending your honor after all. Your past liaison suggests you like a bit of chivalrous heroics. Why don't you let me in and we can see what else you like."

"Ziggler, you have gone round the bend."

"Can't you call me Dolph? I would much rather you call out that when I've got you under me. God would also be acceptable. Give into me. Cena has no idea what he's lost but I'm not ignorant in the slightest of what I have to gain."

Punk's resolve was crumbling. It had been so long since someone honestly wanted him and wasn't just feeding him scraps of affection. He took one step back into his room and that small movement was enough to encourage Ziggler, who stepped into the room, closing the door behind him with his foot. Punk watched as Ziggler quickly sunk to his knees. He felt Ziggler grab the waistband of his shorts and then all movement stopped. Punk looked down to find Ziggler staring at him in shock.

"What the hell is this!"

"What are you talking about?"

Ziggler squeezed Punk's hip roughly. "You've been walking around with Cena's name tattooed on your body. You know you would have tired of him eventually, why would you do such a thing!"

"I never thought I would…"

"Don't even finish that sentence. I respect you enough to not think that you're that gullible."

Ziggler stood up and rushed out the door. Punk sank to his knees and bent his head to rest on them. What was wrong with him? What had he almost allowed?

_AN: I want to thank you all for your encouraging reviews, especially since we are going through a rather rough patch. By the by, have any of you seen Punk's media clips from this weekend? The man has gone and shaved all his facial hair off. Color me shocked._


	13. Chapter 13

Punk obsessing over the gigantic mistake he almost made didn't last for long. There was a pounding on his door which Punk considered just ignoring until he heard Kofi's voice demanding to be let in. Punk opened the door to Kofi who entered his room, clearly with a purpose.

"Get to packing," Kofi said, throwing Punk's bag onto the bed, and then tapping his foot waiting for Punk to get to it.

"I don't need a roommate."

"No, a chaperone is what you need. I saw Ziggler coming out of your room. One week isn't long enough to get over the love of your life much less move on to someone new. You're going to make a mistake that you'll regret for the rest of your life if you keep going the way you are."

"And you're going to stand between me and emotional ruin?"

"I may come off all friendly and happy go lucky but I do have a spine so I suggest that you don't test me. Hand over your phone."

"What is this, prison?"

"No. Consider this an intervention and me protecting you from yourself." Punk handed his phone over and Kofi thumbed through the incoming calls. "Ziggler, Ziggler, Randy, Ziggler…do you answer when Ziggler calls?"

"No."

"Good, the next time he calls the person he's going to be getting on the line is me. What does Randy have to say about all of this?"

"I don't know. I've been dodging his calls too."

"It's going to be impossible to keep putting Randy off come tomorrow. There's only the one house show, and the rest is just a non-stop media blitz and autograph signings. Everyone is going to be there, John, Randy, Ziggler, possibly Ryder if he hasn't been broken in half," Kofi said as he directed Punk out of his room into his own. "Punk, sit down. I know you're not the most open guy, but you going this alone is what keeps getting you in trouble with Ziggler. You're vulnerable whether you want to admit it or not and he's taking advantage of that. Ziggler's not unattractive and he does have a way with words, he's a lot like you in many ways. I can see the attraction in that, but would you rather date a third rate version of yourself or John?"

Punk just looked at Kofi, his face contorted in pain. "What if I never get John back? What if he rides off into the sunset with Ryder? What if the only option I'm left with to not die single and alone and be eaten by wild dogs is Ziggler?"

"I'll lock you in a bedroom with Evan if it comes to that. He's got a crush. At the very least he'll get a novella length lecture on why he needs to lay off the spice. So, spill."

"What?"

"The first step to surviving this mess is to open up to someone and my schedule is cleared for the night so get to talking."

Punk finally relented due to Kofi's sincere nature. He told Kofi about everything, John's neglect, the suspicions he had about Ryder and the full run down about everything Ziggler had been doing. By the time he was through he had broken down in tears.

"First off, John is a nice guy. He would never even suspect that Zack was plotting to steal him away from you. I'm not really an expert on devious plans but Ryder certainly seems to have one. You're not the only one getting played here; you really need to talk to Eve."

"And tell her that she's being used for cover so Ryder can steal John out from under me?"

"Yes, and you're going to talk to Randy too, he's not going to give you a choice in the matter anyway. I'm pretty sure you've reached your limit on unburdening your soul for the night. We might as well get some sleep; this week is going to be rough."

**January 24, 2012**

Punk awoke to the ringing of his cell phone. It was across the room on Kofi's bedside table. It eventually stopped ringing, only to start all over again seconds later. He turned over on his side, ignoring whoever might be calling as per usual. That was until Kofi reached his hand out, looked at the screen and answered.

"Good morning Mrs. Brooks, this is Kofi Kingston," Punk held the pillow over his face. He really didn't want to take this phone call and hear how he had screwed things up with her beloved John. He felt Kofi nudging his shoulder. "You're going to take this. Go into the bathroom if you need privacy."

"Hi Mom."

"Sweetheart, tell me what happened."

"No 'Philip Jack Brooks,' no accusals of breaking John's heart?"

"I saw the show last night and the look on your face when John interrupted you. That and he seemed completely out of character from the nice boy I know him to be."

"We broke up."

"I'm sorry. What happened?"

"There was another guy who is scheming to take John away from me. I dealt with it for a few weeks before I finally lost it and now everything is a mess."

"A few weeks? Usually it takes around a few minutes before you go off."

"Well, it's John and…"

"You don't need to go there. I know it's painful and what you and John meant to each other. Why do you have someone else answering your phone?"

"Kofi's my self-appointed chaperone. He's here to keep me out of getting into any more trouble."

"And that means…" Punk did not respond. "Tell me the rest of it before I fly up there and start sleeping on a cot in your hotel room. That would do wonders for your reputation don't you think?"

"There was another guy."

"Exactly how many people are after John?"

"Not John…me."

"Philip, tell me you didn't…"

"It was a close call, but no. I'm going to spare you the details."

"Good thing, because I was about to book a ticket to come there and beat you with a switch for being an ass."

"Now that sounds more like my dear mother, threats of violence."

"Indeed, now put Mr. Kingston on."

"Huh?"

"Just do it." Punk came out of the bathroom and held out his phone to Kofi.

"She wants to talk to you."

Kofi just shrugged his shoulders and took the phone. "Yes Mrs. Brooks…Of course I am…Not on my watch…I think he would hit me back…I'll take that under advisement, have a great day Mrs. Brooks." Kofi turned to Punk, "Well that was interesting. I now have permission to beat you with a stick if you step out of line. Your mother was very…"

"What exactly did you expect from the woman that gave birth to me and raised me…Martha Stewart?"

Punk and Kofi showered and then met the rest of the roster for the trip to the airport since they would be taking the WWE jet for the trip. Punk entered the plane and the first person he caught sight of was Randy. Randy glared at him and gestured emphatically at the seat next to his.

"You don't have to do this right now. The last thing we need is a plane ride to hell reenactment. Sit here."

Punk gratefully took a seat a few rows up from Randy with Kofi blocking him from the aisle.

"Kingston, move, I'm sitting next to Phil."

"Ziggler, from here on out you won't even be sharing the same oxygen with Punk."

"Kingston, if you don't move I swear…"

"You'll what, hit me and get thrown off the plane, yeah, you do that. It'll be doing all of us a huge favor."

"Phil, come on, tell Kingston to move."

"Call me Phil again and I'll cut out your tongue."

"Punk…"

"Bite me Ziggler."

"I'd be perfectly happy to do that but you're not cooperating."

"Move along, I am so done playing with you."

Ziggler huffed and then walked down the aisle to find another seat.

Punk looked back up and caught sight of the person that had been behind Ziggler in line. It was John. He had most definitely heard the entire exchange. John looked at him steadily for a few seconds before moving down the aisle. Punk had no idea what to make of John's expression. What he couldn't fail to notice was that John did not have Ryder in tow.

Punk was immensely glad that he had only been booked for solo appearances that day. No John giving him indecipherable looks, no Randy looking ready to murder him and no Ziggler trying like hell to get in his pants. Punk was strangely serene and entered he elevator to take it up to his and Kofi's room. A hand shot out to keep the elevator from closing. Punk's serenity took a nose dive when he realized he was alone in the elevator with Ziggler, but Ziggler remained quiet while the elevator ascended. That was until Punk heard the alarm go off. Ziggler had pressed the emergency stop button. Ziggler dropped his bag and lunged at Phil, pinning him to the wall of the elevator. He tried to kiss Punk but he turned his head away, making it impossible.

"Please, Phil. Don't shut me down. Things were going so well. Can't you understand that I want you? Cena's out of the picture. He has no clue what he's lost but I know exactly what I have to gain. We're perfect together. I could make you happy, just let me try."

Ziggler buried his face in Punk's neck. His lips brushing up his jawline to stop at the tattoo behind his ear. Punk's entire body jerked at the wrongness of anyone else kissing him there except John and he slammed Ziggler into the opposing wall; pressing his forearm against Ziggler's throat and pressing the emergency stop button with the other so that the elevator continued its ascent.

"You ever touch me like that again and I'll break both your wrists."

"Phil, please…"

The elevator opened and Punk watched as Ziggler was jerked bodily out of the elevator and was thrown to the ground in the hallway.

"Stay the fuck away from him or I swear you'll never walk again," Randy said with a sneer, looking every inch like a person who wouldn't blink before breaking a person's legs. "And you…you're going to drop your bags in your hotel room and then you and I are going to have a long overdue conversation."

Punk walked down the hall and entered his and Kofi's room.

"Punk, do you wanna go get something to eat?"

"Sorry Kofi, Phil's all booked up."

Randy tore Punk's bag from his hand and threw it on the bed. Punk looked plaintively at Kofi who just shrugged and turned his attention back to the television. Randy dragged him back to the elevator and out the hotel entrance.

"Randy, I know you've talked to John and…"

"Yeah, I have, and if you would answer your damn phone or stop hiding behind your babysitter you would know that I have your back in this clusterfuck of a situation."

"What?"

"John's not some perfect being. He's just as prone to acts of moronacy like all of us. Probably even more so since he doesn't see the bad in people even when it's staring him right in the face. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to know that Ryder is clearly up to something."

"See, that's what I've been…"

"Oh, don't get all superior on me. What the hell is going through that twisted thing you call a brain? Ziggler, seriously? Why don't you let that little asshole fuck you in the locker room right in front of John for all the pain you're causing. You let him kiss you, with John not 10 feet away?"

"I didn't let…"

"But you didn't knock his teeth down his throat like he deserved. You let this thing carry on for far too long and made no secret of it. Don't you realize that the whole roster is probably telling John all about what you've been up to without him realizing it because his stalker had his full and undeserving attention."

"I know I fucked up and there is no way to fix this."

"What makes you say that? Aren't you CM Punk, the master of devious plans and schemes?"

"I am."

"Then we need to get to it. Between the two of us we'll be able to come up with something to remove Ryder from the picture and get John back where he belongs. Jesus that sounded like something out of a romance novel. You've got two chances to turn this around."

"What are you talking about?"

"We've got a house show and then the Royal Rumble. You're going to have to beat Ziggler bloody, show John that you don't give a shit about Ziggler."

"That I can do."

"Glad to hear it. If you were going to confess your love for Ziggler I would have had to murder you and then throw your body in the bushes or something."

**January 28, 2012**

Punk was well aware that the roster had taken notice of the strange trio that was him, Kofi and Randy. John especially kept looking at them with a confused expression. Punk thought it was kind a stupid to schedule a house show the day before the Rumble. With the rash of injuries plaguing the roster it would be just their luck for someone to get injured the day before the Rumble. While Kofi had taken on the task of being his life coach, Randy was taking a vastly different tack for the situation. Kofi would never advocate choking someone out to win a match but Randy was outright encouraging it. After all he had been at Smackdown the night that Punk had practically killed Jeff Hardy in the ring. Punk decided to take the middle road. He would play fair with Ziggler until he stepped out of line and then he would let loose on the guy.

Ziggler lasted a whole five minutes before he took advantage of the situation. He had hit a dropkick and then went for the pin. Ziggler hooked his leg behind the knee but his hand didn't stay there. It slid down his inner thigh and Punk came very close to being groped in front of a live audience. Punk kicked out, throwing a stiff elbow into Ziggler's jaw. They both got to their feet on opposing sides of the ring. Ziggler was staring at Punk as if he couldn't believe that Punk would rough him up, especially a move that would damage his precious face.

From there on out the action in the ring looked more like a UFC match instead of a WWE house show. Ziggler probably had a bruised larynyx from the array of chokeholds Punk was dishing out. There were no sit-ups and headstands today. Punk usually hit his high knee in the corner. The usual leap up slowed down his momentum, lessening the impact of the move. Punk came at Ziggler, his speed increased by coming off the ropes; he hit Ziggler with a high knee in the middle of the ring. Punk watched as Ziggler's eyes rolled back in his head and he hit the ground. Ziggler was knocked out. The official checked Ziggler who did not respond and deemed him unfit to continue, giving the win to Punk.

Punk returned backstage to Randy's congratulations and Kofi's shock that Punk had gone so far in the ring as to render someone unconscious. Punk returned to the locker room, only his and Ziggler's bags left. Punk didn't worry about Ziggler returning anytime soon because he was no doubt being subjected to the attentions of the trainer. Punk stripped down and took a shower, pulled on his clothes and packed his gear up. He heard the door bang open, knowing he would have to deal with Ziggler's anger at being treated so viciously, so he didn't bother to even look up.

Punk's bicep was jerked roughly, John dragging him into the shower area. John slammed him into the wall, pinning him there with his body. John grabbed two handfuls of his hair and their lips connected, John kissing him frantically. Punk moaned loudly and wrapped his arms around John's neck, giving him no way to pull back from the kiss. John dragged Punk to the ground, both of them rolling over repeatedly until John was on top, spreading Punk's legs wide until his was nestled between Punk's hips, grinding their groins together roughly. Clothes were merely pushed out of the way; they were both so eager to feel skin on skin contact. It was rough and wild and everything Punk had been aching for since he walked away from John. John's hand slid down his chest to grip his hip, his fingernails sinking into his skin as if John wanted to gouge out the tattoo that bore his name. It was getting heated and clothes were starting to be shed until John let out a yell, rolling off Punk so that he was soaked in the same freezing cold water that had hit John.

"What are you doing! You're just going to give him a pass after he treated you like shit. I would treat you so much better, you just have to let me," Ziggler forced out, his hand on the knob and his face contorting with something that resembled pain.

Punk felt his face start to color. He had been so desperate to have John back any way he could that he gave into John without thinking. John had chosen Ryder over him time and again and while he wanted John back Ryder was still standing between them. He was embarrassed that at the merest shred of attention from John he had folded without thought. Punk started to gather up his soaked clothes.

"Phil, wait, please…"

"Are you going to get rid of Ryder?"

"Whatever you think…"

"It's exactly what I think. I'm not going to be your second choice. You're only here because Ryder isn't around for you to give all your attention to."

"Phil, see, he doesn't respect you, he doesn't love you. I can do all those things and I won't replace you with the first whiny brat that comes along," Ziggler said plaintively.

"Ziggler you even dare…" John growled out.

"Oh, I do dare. You have no claim on him. You cheated and used him. He deserves so much more than you were giving him."

"He belongs to me!"

"That is fucking it! I don't belong to anyone but me, not anymore," and Punk stormed out the door, running into Randy. Randy looked at Punk and then John, noticing their drenched clothes.

"Not this again," but then he noticed an irate Ziggler. "I can't leave you alone for a second before things degenerate into an episode of Days of Our Lives."

"You're right. I don't need this drama right now; I've got a title to defend," and Punk walked with Randy out of the arena, leaving John and Ziggler behind.

_AN: The reviews from the last chapter were so awesome I decided my faithful readers deserved a quick update. Also thank Mardi Gras that turned me into a shut in yesterday because I live on the parade route. Hope you enjoy._


	14. Chapter 14

**January 29, 2012**

_Royal Rumble_

Punk wished he could walk into the arena in St. Louis with a clear head but he couldn't shake the events of yesterday. He was humiliated that he seemed to be subject to the whims of John. Punk walked into his assigned locker room. Kofi and Randy, his constant chaperones, had left a space between them for him to dress. Since the majority of them were there only for the Rumble, everyone was pulling street clothes over their gear. Punk and Ziggler were the main event before the Rumble itself. Tonight there would be no clever commentating. He was focused on his match and that was the end of it. Unfortunately Punk found that theory had been blown out of the water when he walked into the monitor bay. The roster clustered in small groups, people passing their phones back and forth between them. He found Kofi to ask what the hell was up.

"The Wrestling Observer Newsletter yearly awards were just posted."

Punk pulled the page up on his phone and instantly regretted it. He and John were all over the place, Match of the Year, Best Feud, Best PPV in Money in the Bank. He couldn't seem to banish from his mind that all these accolades had coincided with the beginning of his and John's relationship. What had started out so perfectly had completely collapsed in the course of 7 months. Punk had thought they were going to last forever but they had crumpled before they even reached their one year anniversary. Punk looked up to find John staring at him, phone in hand; the same thoughts that had been running through his mind looked like they had taken up residence in John's as well.

John stood and walked into the hallway, Punk's eyes following his movements. John jerked his head in the direction of the hallway and started walking. Even though things with John were a total disaster area Punk couldn't resist following John. No matter what happened John still had is heart and Punk would follow him anywhere. John waited by a door, and then disappeared into the room, Punk following and closing the door behind him. Of all things it was an abandoned storage closet. Punk leaned against the closed door and John was on the other side of the small room, a few feet between them. They stared at each other longingly but neither of them seemed to be able to make the first move. Punk really couldn't bear this type of mental torture when he was supposed to be getting in the right headspace for his match. He put his hand on the knob to open the door and leave. John crossed the small space between them and pulled Punk into his arms. John's arms were so tight around him that Punk was amazed that he could still breathe but he really wouldn't have it any other way.

"How in the hell did we get here. It started off like a foolish fantasy that I thought I would never have but then you gave me an opening that I never expected. We were so happy, I was in love with you the moment I kissed you and I know you felt the same way. We could be happy again, just let me try," John murmured, his face pressed to Punk's neck. Punk couldn't take one more second of John's closeness, loosening John's arms from around him and stepping back.

"I've been miserable for weeks and you didn't seem very bothered by that. What makes you think that you can make me happy when you're still connected at the hip with Ryder?"

"He's just a friend."

Punk pulled out his phone and pulled up the picture of John and Ryder that had brought this whole mess to a head.

"Can you explain this?"

"He was so upset about losing the US Championship, I was just comforting him."

"Did you need to be all over each other to do that? He's seconds away from kissing you. He has an ulterior motive, can't you see that! Do you think I would have Kofi and Randy backing me on this if they didn't think Ryder was up to something?"

"Zack is dating Eve, he isn't even bi."

"Really? Maybe you should think about how much time he actually spends with Eve compared to how much he spends with you. Eve is in the exact same position that I was in, she just doesn't know it."

"Don't go bust up Eve and Zack's relationship just because you have a theory you have no evidence of. Don't be that cruel."

"Maybe you're right. I wouldn't want to go breaking the girl's heart, I know what that feels like," Punk left, walking back to the monitor bay and taking the seat between Kofi and Randy. Both of them looked at him expectantly. Punk just shook his head.

"Why is John being so stupid and stubborn about this? His bleeding fucking heart is going to ruin his life. What we need is proof, something that even John can't explain away," Randy said, his frustration with the whole situation evident.

"You mean besides Ryder gloating every time John's back is turned?" Kofi added.

"Gentleman, I think this conspiracy could use a woman's touch don't you think?" Eve taking a seat next to Randy.

"Uh, I have no idea what you're talking about," Punk said, not wanting to crush Eve in front of the whole roster who were impatiently waiting for the Rumble to begin.

"I've been waiting for you to come to me Punk, but I've gotten tired of waiting."

"What do you know?"

"That Zack spends all his time with John when the cameras aren't rolling and the love struck expression he has every time John is in the vicinity. Week after week he's humiliating me on live television because he needs a cover for what he's really up to. That and he gets these constant phone calls that he has to take in private. I know he's not talking to John because he got one once while we were in a restaurant and John was with us."

"So there's yet one more person involved in this," Randy said, dropping his forehead into his palm. "This shit is like Grand Central Station, could any more people be involved."

"So what's the plan for Zack's abject humiliation?" Eve asked with an overly excited expression.

"We haven't gotten that far yet," Punk said, pretty embarrassed that his mind hadn't considered what he was going to do with Ryder after he got John back.

"What kind of plot is this? Aren't you usually on top of this type of thing?"

"Listen Eve, we just want to get John to take his head out of his ass," Randy said, somewhat annoyed at their newest recruit.

"Can't we do both? That's the price for my help."

"Fine I get John back and then we commence with his utter and complete destruction," Punk said. He would have agreed to anything at this point.

"I'll keep a better eye on Zack. He's going to slip up at some point and then we take him down. I have a match and then Zack's supposed to be arriving at the arena soon, time to put on a show."

"I do not trust that girl," Kofi said, finally interjecting into the conversation as Eve was walking away.

"She's on the inside, we're not. If we're going to get something on Ryder she's our only chance. But I agree, she was kind of creeping me out," Punk said, turning to the monitor as the Royal Rumble began. Randy's mood took an immediate nose dive when the show opened with the cage match for the World Heavyweight Championship. He was glaring across the room at Barrett who had injured him and probably kept him from being one of the competitors in the match.

After Bryan picked up the win the feed switched to show Ryder entering the arena in a wheel chair. After having a conversation with Eve her disdain for Ryder was pretty evident. Eve even called Laurinaitis an ass which he would have said was out of character for her but after their conversation he had no idea what her character actually was.

John's match with Kane was up next. John came out to the usual mixed reaction and was joined in the ring by Kane. That lasted all of two minutes until the action spilled to the outside. They traded some heavy hits but John brought it back into the ring, trying to hit the AA but his knees folded under him. Punk thought that John must be injured but not showing it because he had seen John AA Edge and Show at once and Kane weighed much less than that. Kane put together a series of brutal offensive maneuvers, keeping John in a semi disoriented state. Punk could barely watch the match and the sheer brutality that John was being subjected to at the hands of Kane. He seemed more intent on destroying John physically that they both ended up being counted out but that didn't stop Kane for a second. The fight continued to the backstage area and Punk could no longer watch, just listen to John's cries of agony as Kane demolished him. He finally looked back up when Randy elbowed him in the side. John was lying on the ground motionless but Kane was standing at the door of Ryder's dressing room. Kane busted the door down and Punk couldn't help but notice that Eve was nowhere to be found. Kane wheeled Ryder to the ring and Eve finally showed her face. Punk had no idea that Eve was such a good actress, begging Kane not to hurt Ryder. Her begging seemed to only incite Kane more who Tombstone Pile Drived Ryder. Of course John came to the rescue and got choke slammed for his efforts. Ryder was strapped to a backboard with yet another stretcher ride in his future.

It was finally time for his match with Ziggler. He arrived at the arena entrance with Ziggler and Vickie arriving soon after. Punk wasn't even bothered by Vickie's presence. He had a win that said Vickie was banned from ringside, but since he didn't technically win that match he wasn't going to complain about her tagging along with Ziggler.

"Vickie, give us a minute."

"No way."

"Vickie!"

"Fine," and Vickie huffed and walked to the other side of the gorilla position, Ziggler turning to Punk.

"What in the world are you wearing?" Punk said motioning at Ziggler's furry vest. "Are you planning a half naked expedition to Antarctica?"

"Vickie said I looked hot."

"Oh, Vickie said. What is she? 60? You'll certainly turn on every resident of the nearest assisted living facility."

"If the vest doesn't get you all hot and bothered I can take it off. Any other clothes you'd like me to lose?"

"You're awfully talkative for someone who is getting ready to get their ass handed to them."

"Get my ass handed to me? Sounds hot. Your hands on my ass would be entirely welcome. Come on, Laurinaitis has all but guaranteed that you will be losing the title. You deserve a little bit of sexual innuendo to get you through the match."

"I have overcome events much more challenging than Laurinaitis."

"Do you mean Survivor Series and the handcuffs? I remember that match fondly. You and a pair of handcuffs, definite spank bank material."

"You are the chattiest motherfucker I swear. Can't Laurinaitis finish smarming around the ring and get your music cued up so you and your grandmother can go to the ring."

"How about a détente. If nothing else we both know that we can put on a hell of a match. Let's go out there and steal the show. You never know, you might enjoy showing off a little bit."

"That's the most intelligent thing I've ever heard you say."

"I'm not just all stunning good looks and seductive charisma, you know."

"Let's go out there and rock this arena. Just because we're opponents doesn't mean we can't have a little fun," Punk said, extending his hand and Ziggler shook it. Of course Ziggler's definition of what one would call sportsmanship didn't last long. Ziggler gripped Punk's hand and pulled Punk forward until their bodies were pressed together.

"How about after the match we go out to dinner?"

"No chance in hell."

"Well, I wanted to treat you with respect but if you want to skip to the frenzied fucking that's fine too. I just never thought CM Punk would be so easy.

"Whether I'm easy or not is information you'll never have. And if you do sit ups next to my prone body I will smack you so hard your head will do a 360."

"So you've added the bitch slap to your repertoire?"

"Its inclusion is just for you," and Ziggler's music finally cued up, Vickie returning to his side, in an irate mood.

"Time to put the rest of the roster to shame and show off a little," Ziggler said in closing, exiting the curtain and into the arena.

Punk could hear the crowd chanting his name, the volume increasing when his entrance music hit. He made his way to the ring with Laurinaitis soon interjecting, calling another official out to the ring to referee the match instead of himself. Punk kissed the title and handed it over to the official. The official motioned for the match to begin but Laurinaitis interrupted again, throwing Vickie out of the arena. Laurinaitis was obviously trying to save his job but Punk didn't think acting like a rational human being for one match was going to make up for the months of moronic behavior he had exhibited. Vickie left in a snit but Ziggler didn't seem bothered in the slightest that she had been ejected. They were both in much better moods than two people who were in a match should be. They both had smiles on their faces. They both tried to pull off their finishing moves but both were denied. Punk held two fingers up, rubbing it into Ziggler's face how close he came to losing in the first minute of the match.

They locked up and Ziggler got free of the clinch and ran his hands through his hair, showing off as per usual. Punk took advantage of Ziggler's inattention and almost locked in the Anaconda Vise. Ziggler quickly slid his way to the ropes, forcing Punk to break the hold. They both immediately got to their feet; Punk locking in an abdominal stretch, hooking his leg over Ziggler's hip to really lock it in. He elbowed Ziggler in the side, taking the chance to mock Ziggler, performing the move Ziggler had just displayed coupled with a yell of Best in the World." They traded off series of offensive moves, both men being pretty evenly matched as usual. Punk finally put Ziggler down, signaling for the GTS. Ziggler fought out and pushed Punk, sending him barreling into the official. All Punk saw was an opening and locked Ziggler in the Anaconda Vise, Ziggler tapping almost immediately. The only problem was that there was no official to see Ziggler tapping.

Punk held the hold for some time, finally letting Ziggler loose when he saw it was futile. He leaned over the rope to yell at Laurinaitis, Ziggler taking the chance to roll him up. Punk reversed the move, pinning Ziggler for 5 seconds before giving up on that as well. He had won this match twice already. Laurinaitis rolled the official back into the ring. The man looked like he had no idea where he was, much less be able to referee a match. Ziggler came at him again, and on instinct, Punk hefted him up over his shoulder and hit the GTS, clipping Laurinaitis with Ziggler's legs, pinning Ziggler yet again. This was just ridiculous.

Laurinaitis was yelling at him and Punk only wished that the head clip had been intentional. Punk braced to be disqualified but it never happened. Punk let loose on Laurinaitis, "The next GTS is for you, clown shoes!"

Of course, the official managed to get himself together just in time to see Ziggler reverse yet another GTS to a Zig Zag. He kicked out; at least now the match had an official. It seemed like Ziggler finally lost his cool and began hitting and kicking wildly. Punk used Ziggler's momentum to whip him into the corner, Ziggler rebounding, and Punk hit the GTS, getting the win. Punk looked to his side to see that Laurinaitis had been counting the fall with the official. This whole match had been a clusterfuck from bell to bell. He had Ziggler beat on 4 separate occasions, humiliating the man thoroughly. He didn't think any more dinner invitations from Ziggler were in his future.

Punk passed through the curtain and was met by a wall of his co-workers, the ones that had unluckily drawn numbers lower on the spectrum. He just threw his belt over his shoulder and walked away. Any of these men could be entering the Rumble with the express intent of taking his title away at WrestleMania. He walked straight to the locker room, he had a little business to take care of and he could use a quick shower before the Rumble started.

When Punk returned to the monitor bay the only people sitting down were the girls clustered together in two groups. John was MIA, probably off with Ryder and he was already the main event at WrestleMania so he had no use for a Rumble win. Then he spotted the only one of his fellow roster members seated, sitting front and center. He was acting like a particularly slippery lunatic these days but he was friends with people that had worse character traits.

"Daniel, ready to see who's going to get themselves a WrestleMania opponent tonight."

"Yeah, 50/50 aren't exactly the best odds."

"Did you have a number?"

"Yeah, just in case. I gave it up though."

"To who?"

"Dolph Ziggler."

"What!"

"If there is anyone who is a sure thing to choose your title to go after it's that guy."

"That's pretty brilliant on your part, but it's not going to happen. I put him through the wringer tonight; he's not going to be able to go the distance."

"I don't know it's a pretty decent draw. Did you have a number?"

"Of course I did. I was pretty sure that Laurinaitis was going to screw me, it was the only way to screw him right back. I gave it to Show."

"Oh thanks a lot."

"He helped me get a title shot at Survivor Series, I owed him one."

"Please tell me that you gave him #2."

"Let me just say that it's going to be a while until you see him in the ring. We should have both kept our numbers. The WWE haven't seen you and me in the ring together. We could have torn the house down at WrestleMania. One of us could have been the undisputed champion."

The Rumble started with Miz, using his #1 seed to take the opportunity to give a speech about his awesomeness. Punk couldn't really fault the guy because he had taken many opportunities last year to hand down and sermon or two.

"So, who do you have your money on Punk."

"Jericho. He has to have a better reason to return to the WWE besides running around like a Christmas tree with legs."

"You do realize he hates your guts."

"I do know how to read a twitter feed."

"That works for me because he will most definitely be coming after you. I've got my money on Cody Rhodes; he's determined to pull off an Ultimate Warrior. That and I know he will never get the chance to get a fair match. Smackdown is full of people who think they should be Heavyweight Champion."

"You are assembling quite a long list of enemies."

"They don't have a chance. You're not the only one with a t-shirt. Everyone taps sooner or later."

Punk decided not to bring to Daniel's attention that he hadn't made anyone tap in quite a while. Pissed a lot of people off that wanted to wring his neck, yes.

Punk watched while the Rumble unfolded, the monitor bay emptying out with the occasional pissed off co-worker stalking to the locker rooms. Kofi had drawn a pretty bad number, being entrant 11. It was a shame because Punk thought that the two of them would have put on a pretty good show. Foley and Santino's impromptu puppet show in the ring was pretty hilarious. Randy had drawn a good number but Punk wasn't sure that their friendship would keep Randy from coming after him if he was Randy's chosen opponent.

Punk couldn't miss the angry expression on Daniel's face when Show came out #30. The ring was clearing out and both his and Daniel's picks were still in it, as well as the people they had given away their numbers to. Punk had to give Miz some credit; he practically went coast to coast but was tossed over the top rope along with Rhodes and Ziggler, all courtesy of Show. He really had chosen to give his number away to the right person.

It all came down to the final four: Sheamus, Show, Randy and Jericho. Randy and Show were eliminated, leaving just Sheamus and Jericho. He was sure Jericho would come after him but Sheamus was a wild card. Punk was actually disappointed when Sheamus eliminated Jericho. Raw was going to be insane.

Punk caught a cab back to the arena. As he passed the hotel bar he spotted Eve.

"What, not playing the worried girlfriend tonight?"

"No. They're keeping Zack overnight. Only one person could stay with him and he asked for John."

"Of course he did."

"He's going home to recuperate so you probably will have a Zack free week. You should send Kane a thank you card."

"I don't think he's the Hallmark sort."

Eve finished her drink and grabbed her things. "I'm going to bed; I just needed to come down after dealing with Zack tonight. See you tomorrow."

Punk was heading out the bar when he caught sight of Ziggler, practically collapsed on the bar. Punk knew he should just leave him there but he walked toward Ziggler anyway.

_AN: So I had this strange dream the other night. John Cena and I were being chased by zombies, no idea what inspired that but it's pretty hilarious. I want to thank you all for the awesome reviews, you guys rock!_


	15. Chapter 15

Punk walked over to Ziggler. This was exactly the sort of situation that Kofi was trying to prevent, but after Kofi and Randy failed to win the Rumble, they both had scattered so he was currently without a babysitter and prone to doing inadvisable things.

"How in the world did you manage to get this drunk in 30 minutes?"

"Patron goes down easy. Why shouldn't I be drunk? My entire body is aching and I have absolutely nothing to show for it except being spectacularly humiliated in the ring tonight. Do you know what Laurinaitis said to me? He said that if he knew how easy it was to beat me without outside help he would have picked someone else to take you on. He's not even going to give me a one on one rematch. Did you have to embarrass me like that? Do you hate me that much?"

"I don't hate you."

"But you don't like me."

"I like you just fine."

"But not enough."

"No, not enough. Not in the way that you want." Ziggler stared at him then raised his hand to the bartender for another round. "You shouldn't drink so much it's…"

"I'm not going to listen to a straight edge sermon unless we're dating and then I will listen intently. Are we dating?"

"No."

"Then I'll take a pass on the self-help speech for tonight. What is it precisely about me that you don't like? I'm smart, entertaining, and hot as hell. What is it that Cena brings to the table that I don't? Better yet, what was Cena lacking that made you leave him; I might be capable of giving you the things he can't."

"You know the reason John and I are no longer together is because I won't tolerate having three people in a relationship. You come with the same baggage and I can't punch Vickie in the mouth when she gets into harpy mode."

"If that's the only problem, screw Vickie. You want her gone, she's gone."

Punk was taken aback. The very thing he wanted from John, Ziggler was offering up with no argument whatsoever. Maybe John was gone for good. Maybe he and Ryder were already together and he was hoping for a reconciliation that would never happen. Maybe dismissing Ziggler out of hand meant he was throwing something away that could be good for him. Ziggler was all the things he said, even if humility was a personality trait that was completely foreign to him. He couldn't really hold that against him because the concept of humbleness was just as foreign to him.

"Listen, I'll think about it, okay."

"You will?"

"Yes. Come on, I'll help you to your room," and Punk wrapped his arm around Ziggler's waist and slung his arm over his shoulder, dragging a very inebriated Ziggler to the elevator and up to his room. "Where's your key?"

"Dunno. Want to help me look for it?"

Punk just looked at Ziggler dubiously.

"You're no fun," and Ziggler dug his key out of his pocket. "So, did you finish thinking about it yet? You could come in and we could think about it together. Better yet, let's not think at all."

"I give you an inch and you want a mile."

"Nah, I just want you," Ziggler said, opening the door to his room wide and leaning against it, giving Punk more than enough room to enter.

"Enough of you and your drunken sexual advances. Go sleep it off, I'll see you tomorrow."

"Will you be done thinking by then?"

Punk just shrugged his shoulders and began to walk down the hallway to his and Kofi's room.

"What would you say if I told you that I think I'm falling in love with you," Ziggler called after him. Punk paused and then just kept walking, not looking back.

**January 30, 2012**

_Monday Night Raw_

Punk walked into the arena in Kansas City not bothering to speak to a damn person because he knew tonight was going to be a clusterfuck of epic proportions. The show started with Laurinaitis announcing his opponents in the Elimination Chamber. There was a 1 in 6 chance that he could lose his title to Ziggler, Miz, Kofi, Jericho, or R Truth. Punk really couldn't argue with Laurinaitis' choice of his opponents because they were all competent wrestlers and deserved the shot they were being given. On any given day with this crew he could find himself watching one of them walk away with his title. He was the best in the world but even he could have an off day and the Chamber was so perilous anything could and probably would happen. Just because he approved of one of the last actions of Laurinaitis as GM didn't mean that he wasn't going to the ring to get in a few last digs before Hunter sent him packing.

He entered the arena and was met with the roar of the crowd, belt in one hand and a mic in the other. He taunted Laurinaitis through song on his way to the ring. Laurinaitis had an idiotic smile on his face but underneath that he was probably seething. Laurinaitis' treatment of him had ended up being the last nail in his coffin and Laurinaitis would probably like nothing better than punch him in the mouth that had embarrassed him time and again. After talking briefly to Hunter backstage he knew that Laurinaitis would not be getting a positive review. Hunter also offered to lend him his sledgehammer if Punk was in the mood to beat someone half to death that was practically in a full body cast. The idea had a certain appeal but he knew that Ryder was not in attendance tonight. Maybe next week.

He finally entered the ring, "Goodbye clown shoes."

Laurinaitis had the gall to ask for an apology for not interfering in his match last night. Why in the hell did Laurinaitis think he needed credit for something that he was supposed to do in the first place. Punk did extend his thanks for all the fun he had in owning the man again and again. Laurinaitis extended his hand and offered Punk a truce. His response was to offer the soon to be ex GM a goodbye GTS.

He was interrupted by Daniel's music playing through the arena. Punk had a pretty good idea what was coming next. With Daniel's current mental state he doubted that he had asked for this match. This was Laurinaitis' real goodbye to him, setting up a match between himself and the only other person on the roster that could reasonably contend that he was just as talented as himself. He and Daniel had torn the house down in ROH and now it was the turn of the WWE fans to see what real wrestling was all about. Sheamus came out to the ring to announce that he would decide who would be meeting him in the ring at WrestleMania after the Elimination Chamber. Sheamus took a couple parting shots at Laurinaitis and left the ring to him and Daniel. Punk extended his hand to Daniel. Daniel hesitated before shaking his hand. There was still enough ROH etiquette in them to show respect where respect was due.

Daniel left the arena, Punk following soon after. Punk looked up to the graphics on the screen to see Randy vs. Ziggler announced as the next match. Laurinaitis was probably feeding an already beat down Ziggler to Randy as punishment for being unable to get the job done the night before. He passed through the curtain to find an annoyed Randy watching Vickie screeching at a road agent that Ziggler was in no condition to compete while Ziggler was contradicting her at every turn. Ziggler finally pulled Vickie aside and when they came back Ziggler had somehow forced Vickie into silence but the look on her face showed how irate she was over the whole situation. With the drama finally silenced Randy entered the arena followed by Ziggler in his horrid furry vest.

Punk was glad that Ziggler had been preoccupied with Vickie because he had no idea what he would say to Ziggler after what had transpired last night. Punk returned to the monitor bay and took a seat next to Kofi who informed him that he would be taking on Miz tonight. Punk settled in to watch Randy's match with Ziggler. 5 minutes later Ziggler found himself on the wrong end of a RKO and the match was at an end. Randy had shown Ziggler no mercy and he knew Ziggler must be fuming, another loss added to his record.

Punk's match would be starting momentarily and he made his way to the arena entrance, finding Daniel already there. Punk had stopped being insulted when his match ended up lost in the card in no man's land or having to play second fiddle to his opponents. No matter when his match was slotted or who took precedence over him, the fans didn't seem to give a fuck and neither did he. As the match progressed he was fully aware that he and Daniel were putting on a 5 star match and the fans loving them for it. Punk delivered his patented head kick to Daniel who rolled to the edge of the mat under the ropes. Punk should have capitalized but instead took the opportunity to catch his breath before going after Daniel again. Punk was taken aback when his body was jerked around. He met the eyes of Jericho briefly before becoming a victim of the Code Breaker. Sure, he was pissed about being blindsided but was actually glad that Jericho had finally declared his intentions. He hoped this latest action of Jericho's would prevent the man from continuing to run around like a manic disco ball.

Punk returned to the locker room to shower quickly so that he would be back in the monitor bay in time to see Kofi's match. Even though Kofi was a friend his was still his competition in the Elimination Chamber and watching him and Miz fight were just a preview of what he might expect. Miz entered the arena with his usual mic in hand. Miz was even fonder of the microphone than he was. It seemed that short matches were the theme of the night because Kofi took Miz down in 5 minutes with Trouble in Paradise.

"Have you made up your mind yet?"

He turned around the find Ziggler's arms folded over the back of his chair and his head lowered so his mouth was inches from his ear. Ziggler had obviously judged the right time because Randy was in the locker room and Kofi was still in the arena.

"Ziggler, it hasn't even been 24 hours."

"You should consider my impatience a compliment and why don't you call me Dolph."

"Because it's the silliest name I have ever heard."

"I'm open to terms of endearment and pet names."

"Lucky for us both I'm not."

"Ziggler, what are you doing?" Randy said, towering over Ziggler.

"Just talking."

"Go talk to someone else."

"Fine, I'll see you later," the parting words aimed at Punk, Ziggler smiling enticingly.

"Can't you be left alone for a minute? Do you have any sense of self-preservation?"

Punk remained silent, not wanting to reveal to Randy what the extent of the situation actually was.

A match for the Divas Championship between Beth Phoenix and Eve was up next. Eve must really be committed to her plan, whatever is was because she seemed nervous and twitchy during the match, losing quickly to Beth. Eve's vulnerability summoned Kane and the lights dimmed until there was only an eerie red light in the arena. Eve nervously searched the arena but Kane appeared on the big screen demanding Eve to deliver the message that Kane would continue physically decimating Ryder until John embraced the hate. Punk thought that a pre-recorded clip was a little mild for Kane and sure enough he appeared in the ring behind Eve. John's music cued up and he ran to defend Eve. For once John was saving an actual damsel in distress. John put a brutal beating on Kane, sending him fleeing into the crowd. The strangest part was the smile John had on his face the entire time, as if he was truly enjoying annihilating Kane. Punk couldn't fathom what state of mind John must be in to cause him to behave the way he did. John returned to the monitor bay, propped his feet up on the chair in front of him and sat back to watch Laurinaitis' job evaluation. Punk couldn't stop staring at John and the creepy smile that had overtaken his face. John turned his head and caught Punk staring. The smile faltered for a moment and John quickly turned his head back to the screen.

Punk too turned back to the monitor. At least seeing Laurinaitis get canned would improve his mood. Laurinaitis entered the ring, the smile from earlier in the night completely absent. Laurinaitis tried to plead his case to the arena but they were not having it, the fans were out for his blood tonight, and that's when Hunter entered the arena. Hunter tore Laurinaitis to shreds and Punk found it hilarious as did much of the roster. Hunter invited Laurinaitis to join the Kiss My Ass club and the absolute fool put on a layer of chap stick, knelt down and puckered his lips. Hunter busted out laughing, calling Laurinaitis a freak that need professional help. A cheer went up in the bay when Hunter wrapped his arm around Laurinaitis and began to future endeavor him…and that's when the gongs sounded.

The monitor bay immediately hushed. No matter your allegiances or behavior there was one person that commanded every person on the roster's respect, and that was the Undertaker whom no one had seen since WrestleMania when he was carted off, unable to stand on his own power. The roster waited with bated breath, much like the fans, as the Undertaker made his way to the ring. Punk noticed that Laurinaitis fled the ring like a shot. The Undertaker entered the ring and stared Hunter down, looked to the WrestleMania sign hung above the ring, and then back at Hunter running his hand across his neck. Punk knew what that gesture meant and it was nothing he ever wanted to experience again, and then Hunter shocked the hell out of him. He patted the Undertaker on the shoulder like one would greet and old friend and left the ring, leaving the Undertaker alone and clearly dissatisfied by what had transpired. Punk had no idea what could possibly be in Hunter's head. He knew damn well from last year that Hunter's suit was just a costume; he was still capable of visiting the same carnage on a competitor as he had prior to becoming COO. He had just said no to the Undertaker and Punk had no idea where anyone would get the balls to do something that suicidal.

Punk gathered his things and headed to the arena exit.

"Why are you doing this to me? Do you think I'm deaf and blind and ignorant of what's going on around me?"

Punk turned around and saw John leaning against the wall, far enough down a hallway where he hadn't seen John as he passed.

"Not to sound like a magic 8 ball but all signs point to yes."

"Hilarious."

"I'm glad to see at least one of us finds this situation funny and I know it's not me."

"Of course it's not, you've got Dolph Ziggler panting after your ass and yelling out his love for you down the hallway."

"You heard that?"

"I'm pretty sure everyone that came back to their rooms immediately after the Rumble heard that."

"I'm not going to lie, yes Ziggler is interested in me, it's a refreshing change from the last month or so when you didn't even notice I was alive."

John grabbed Punk by the bicep and pulled him to the end of the hallway. "How can you say that? I can barely remember a time when you weren't everything to me."

John grabbed Punk and pulled him in tight to his body, threading his hands through Punk's hair and kissing him frenetically. At the first touch of their lips Punk knew that there would never be anyone for him besides John. He had ruined him for anyone else. Punk pulled back quickly, holding his fingers to his lips. Punk was disturbed from his thoughts when John's phone rang. John looked down at his phone, then back at Punk, at then stared at the screen of his phone.

"Oh just answer it. Wouldn't want to keep Ryder waiting."

Punk grabbed his things and made his way to the exit. He caught a cab and told the driver to take him to the airport, not the hotel as he had planned. He had to get away from the WWE and everyone in it. He had two days off, barely sufficient to get his mind straight but it would have to be enough. He was going back to Chicago, screw everyone else.

_AN: I know it's shorter than usual but the longer chapters were getting approching information overload. Thank you again for all your great reviews, you guys are the best._


	16. Chapter 16

**February 2, 2012**

Punk's self-imposed Chicago exile was just what he needed to get some perspective on his current situation even though it put him through the emotional ringer. He found himself sitting on the counter in his bathroom, staring into the drawer that had been designated as John's. Although the toiletries had no emotional connections, they were still John's and they were the one last shred of John he still had in his life. He found himself packing and unpacking John's things over and over, shoving them to the back of his closet only to pull them out again because just knowing they were there was emotionally taxing. He had taken to sleeping in one of John's old Cenation T's which was just further proof that he would never be able to sever the connection between him and John. He ran countless miles in the park, turning over in his mind the few options that were left for him. He finally decided that he would give John one last chance. Although Punk wasn't one to lay down ultimatums the situation called for it, and he would make John choose. Either he wanted him or he wanted Ryder but he couldn't have both. Punk yearned for John to pick him but was scared to death of what would happen to him if John's decision went the other way.

**February 3, 2012**

When Punk arrived at the first house show he immediately looked for John because all the things he needed to say to him were wearing him down. He looked everywhere but he was nowhere to be found.

"Are you looking for John by any chance?" Eve asked, an unreadable smile on her face.

"Yeah, have you seen him?"

"He's not going to be here. He brought Zack home with him to Tampa so he would have someone to take care of him."

"Oh, thanks for letting me know."

"No problem, we are co-conspirators you know."

Punk turned on his heel and found the most remote empty room he could find. He slid down against the closed door and tucked his head into his knees. His blood had run cold when Eve revealed John and Ryder's whereabouts. John had brought Ryder home with him to Tampa? Punk's mind starting looping all the memories he and John had shared in that house, and just like Punk's apartment, Punk had things that he had left at John's house. He could just imagine the bonfire Ryder would start, erasing the last concrete connection between him and John. It was really over. Ryder had supplanted Punk in every place he had occupied in John's life. He wiped the tears off his cheeks that he had barely reined in when he had spoken to Eve. He looked into a mirror in the empty locker room. The tears where gone but he was frighteningly pale and looked like he could keel over at any second.

Punk headed back to the arena entrance to face Miz who was perceptive as all hell and Punk knew he would take advantage of his fragile state. Punk put his best effort forward but considering his situation that wasn't very much. Miz hit the Skull Crushing Finale but Punk rolled out of the way to prevent a pin, going under the ropes, and he fell to the floor. He had no intention of getting back in the ring; Miz could have his count out win. He felt himself being dragged up and thrown back into the ring. He looked to ringside and found Kofi looking at him like he had lost his fool mind. Punk realized that he just needed to get this over and done with so he could find somewhere to just fall apart. He quickly finished the match with a kick to Miz's head. He and Kofi returned to the locker room and headed to the hotel. They entered their room and Punk collapsed on the bed, fully dressed and turned his back to Kofi to stare listlessly at the wall. Kofi tried to coax him to go to dinner but with his stomach as twisted up as it was there would be no way he could keep it down. Punk would see John tomorrow at Raw but Punk knew there was nothing left to say to John now. It was all over.

**February 6, 2012**

_Monday Night Raw_

Punk walked into the arena in Oklahoma City glad to be at work for once. It was a well-needed distraction, needed even more so by John's continued absence. He wasn't going to terrorize his mind making up more and more painful theories of what was transpiring in Tampa. He had done enough of that during the string of house shows. He still had the Ziggler issue to face. He had also been absent at the house shows. Punk knew now that as appealing as Ziggler appeared he was not John and no one deserved dating him while he was pining over something he could never have. Kofi was treating him like he was made out of glass but Punk was putting on a brave face because the last thing he needed right now was a very uncomfortable pep talk from Randy. They made their way to the monitor bay, Punk sticking close to Randy and Kofi so that Ziggler had no opportunity to get anywhere near him. A road agent approached him and Kofi, informing that that they would be competing in a Six Pack Challenge to determine who would be entering the Elimination Chamber last. Punk was glad to have some real competition, a little chaos and violence would go a long way to lifting his spirits.

The show opened with Hunter revealing that he had fully intended to fire Laurinaitis last week before he was interrupted by the Undertaker's reappearance. Laurinaitis had cut Hunter off at the pass, going over his head to the Board of Director's in an attempt to keep his job. Laurinaitis was expected to be in attendance tonight and Punk hoped it was with a pink slip in hand. Hunter began explaining his reasons for refusing the Undertaker's challenge. Punk couldn't believe the things that were coming out of Hunter's mouth; Hunter saying the Undertaker deserved his pity for trying to recapture something that was no longer there. He actually felt sorry for Hunter because he knew that the Undertaker would not take this slight lightly.

Punk watched the rest of the show impassively. That was until Jericho's music began playing through the arena. There was no running around like a hyperactive child who had forgotten their Ritalin. He looked like he was finally going to address the circumstances of his return, and he had Punk's full attention. Jericho was finally going to string more than five words together.

He began by mocking the fans for buying into the strange behavior he had been exhibiting, going so far to admit to trolling them.

"Oh great, now he's started talking in full sentences we'll never get him to shut up," Randy voiced, already exasperated with Jericho, snickers coming from behind him from the roster members that had overheard him.

Then he turned his ire to the roster, calling them all Chris Jericho wannabes and being made obsolete just by Jericho's mere presence. No matter the current alliances, the whole roster was offended. Punk heard 'asshole' 'idiot' 'jackass' and a host of other expletives yelled out by offended wrestlers.

Then Jericho took aim at the rest of the competitors in the Elimination Chamber. He accused Miz of copying his manner of dress and style of speaking.

"Seriously!" Miz yelled out, obviously pissed as hell.

"Seriously!" The whole roster parroted back at Miz.

He then attacked Kofi, accusing him of stealing Jericho's use of high flying maneuvers.

"Jericho has a time machine! He went back to the 70's and became the first person to go off the top rope!" Kofi said with mocking amazement. Hanging around him was making Kofi more sarcastic by the day.

R-Truth was next, Jericho charging with stealing his use of catch phrases.

"Jericho won't be able to say anything with a mouthful of spiders!" Punk felt his shoulders shake at the insanity that was Truth before shuddering at the mental image of having a mouthful of spiders.

Ziggler and Vickie were next on the list when Jericho claimed to have invented the use of female managers.

The entire roster turned around when a laugh rang out through the monitor bay. Vickie was cracking up laughing, not shrieking, not cackling, but full out laughing. Even Ziggler was looking at her like she had lost her damn mind.

Of course Jericho charged Punk as the main offender and proceeded to go through a laundry list of complaints, mainly centered on his erroneous, at least according to Jericho, use of the moniker of best in the world.

The roster turned to look at Punk, waiting for him to go off but they were disappointed. Punk just continued to watch Jericho complain with a small smile on his face. Jericho contended that he was the best in the world at everything he does. Punk wondered if that included looking like Christmas decorations.

"That is it! I'm going out there and punch him in his delusional mouth!" Miz yelled, jumping to his feet.

"Miz, chill. Guys, I'll go out there and take care of this," Punk said, also standing up.

Miz stood with his fists clenched by his side, staring Punk down. Punk thought he was going to have a problem until Miz smirked and held his hand out in front of him as if to say, have at it."

Punk entered the arena belt in one hand and mic in the other held behind his back. The crowd was with him but when he revealed the mic they came unglued. Jericho didn't seem to be very happy that his tiresome tirade and been interrupted. Punk walked slowly towards Jericho, entering the ring and staring him down. He opened his mouth to respond in kind but then realized that wasn't the way to really send Jericho through the roof. He dropped the mic and held the belt in the air above Jericho's head. He turned his back to Jericho so that he got a good look at what was printed on the back of his shirt, and then he just walked out, Jericho screaming at his retreating back.

"Come back and talk to me wannabe!"

Punk just kept walking back to the monitor bay.

"I thought you were going out there to drop an epic pipe bomb, not impersonate a mute!" Miz yelled.

"Did you see the look on his face? He was angrier that I didn't say a damn word instead of playing into his hands. He'll get a bomb dropped on him, just give me time," Punk assured the irate roster.

Punk's good mood after that little exchange couldn't even be brought down by the reappearance of Laurinaitis, announcing the return of Shawn Michaels next week and John vs. Kane in an Ambulance match at Elimination Chamber. Punk thought that the way things were going with John and Kane the match would have ended with someone leaving in an ambulance regardless.

The competitors in the Six Pack Challenge were clustered around the ring entrance, with Jericho on one side of the gorilla position and everyone else on the other. Punk was watching Jericho closely when it finally dawned on him that he had united everyone against him and that every single one of them had Jericho at the top of their hit list. They all entered the arena, and just as Punk had predicted, Jericho was attacked by everyone in the ring, except himself, just watching the melee unfold. He picked the closest person to him, which happened to be Miz, and tried to roll him up for a pin. This seemed to reorient everyone else to what they were actually supposed to be doing in the ring, and Jericho rolled out the ring in as much of a hurry as a person who had just been beat to all hell could. After that the match degenerated into pure pandemonium, everyone desperate to get the advantageous final entry position. Punk couldn't help but notice that Jericho was nowhere to be found. The ring eventually cleared out, bodies strewn around ringside and Punk found himself face to face with Jericho who had finally decided to reenter the match. The stare down only resulted in both of them being attacked from behind.

The match continued until he was left alone in the ring with Ziggler, connecting with the GTS and he went for the pin, only to be pulled out by his legs and thrown across the announce table. Punk didn't need to see who was responsible when he heard Jericho's music sound through the arena. Punk finally collected himself to sit up only to see Jericho sitting Indian style in the middle of the ring, holding HIS title. Who was infringing on gimmicks now? Punk could live without entering last, as long as he finished first, but Jericho outright mocking him had him ready to kill. Jericho abandoned the belt in the ring before Punk could recover and choke him out in the ring like he deserved.

Punk made his way back to the locker room and showered, sticking like glue to Kofi to keep Ziggler at bay. He had managed to avoid him all night but he knew his luck couldn't hold out for that long. He reached the safety of his and Kofi's hotel room and that was when the phone calls started, Ziggler calling every hour on the hour. Punk eventually silenced his phone but it kept vibrating all the same. At 2AM Punk finally gave up the fight. Kofi was fast asleep and Punk took his phone into the bathroom.

"Why do you keep calling me?"

"Meet me in the lobby."

"No."

"Come on, you know you want to."

"No. Stop calling."

"You said you'd think about it, it's been a week."

"Do you really want to be my rebound after John?"

"You'll come to adore me, everyone does."

"Well I won't be adoring you at 2AM."

"We have 3 days in Abu Dhabi; you won't be able to avoid me forever."

Punk pressed end on his phone. He wouldn't be able to avoid Ziggler forever, and that was what he was afraid of. Punk lay back in bed and contemplated the trip to the UAE. It would be the first time in a while that he was jetting off to some exotic locale without John at his side to share it with. He had 3 days of Kofi chaperoning him, Ziggler trying to get him alone and the pain of being around John to look forward to. It was going to be a long trip.

_AN: First I wanted to send a shout out to CaptainYuzuki18 for changing my desktop background and to HeartDeNijs for making me cry and them attempting to assassinate me all in one week. I survived the attempt, barely, and I live to write another day._

_Like most people I am susceptible to flattery and your reviews make me want to live up to the hype and deliver new material as soon as possible so you don't grow bored of waiting and abandon me. This chapter is more transitional than anything, which is code for the next chapter being a swervy trip to crazy land. Hope you enjoy!_


	17. Chapter 17

About 20 members of the Raw roster left for the string of house shows in the United Arab Emirates. Punk paced around the terminal, the layover just happening to be in Chicago, not looking forward to an 18 hour flight. When it was finally time for take off a road agent, John, Truth and himself caught a flight to Dubai for a press conference while the rest of their co-workers continued on to Abu Dhabi. They found their seats in the first class cabin and they were all seated in the same row, predictably with John next to him and Truth and the road agent across the aisle. There were partitions between the seats but being a few feet away from John was still emotionally taxing. Even if they were still together they would have been forced to limit all signs of affection between themselves because as forward as Dubai and Abu Dhabi were, this was still the Middle East. He was actually more afraid of Truth degenerating into his particular brand of crazy on the flight. It turned out he didn't need to be worried on that count because Punk suspected that the road agent had slipped Truth a tranquilizer or something because he was amazingly chill the entire flight. He and John didn't speak once.

They arrived in Dubai and took a cab to the location of their press conference. Out of the corner of his eye he saw John take one look at the building and he was obviously considering running for his life.

"What the hell!" John exclaimed.

"This is the tallest building in the world," the road agent said, addressing him and Truth directly most probably because John looked like he was going to run for the hills.

"Tell me the press conference is on the 10th floor," John said warily.

"Actually it's on the observation deck which is on the 124th floor."

John started backing away from the structure and Punk instinctively placed his hand on the small of John's back.

"It'll be fine. They're only asking you to talk not base jump."

John turned to face Punk, their eyes locking. John smiled but Punk quickly looked away. What the hell was he doing? He should have snatched his hand away immediately but he didn't. It felt like his hand was on fire. When they reached their floor Punk strode out of the elevator, feeling John quickly grasp his hand briefly. He took the middle seat, placing his belt on the table. Truth, who seemed almost normal for a change leaned over to tell him that the belt was upside down.

"I'm absolute shit at these formal events," Punk said with forced laughter, Truth joining in.

John led the press conference from the podium, his voice relaxing as he spoke and then answered questions, the subject of the Rock predictably coming up. Then out of nowhere Kane showed up. Someone must have forgotten to tell Punk that it was torture John Cena day. John tried to calm the situation down but that was completely useless. John quickly lost his temper and AA'd Kane through the table he and Truth were sitting at, puting an emphatic end to the press conference. Punk didn't even question Kane's inexplicable appearance because he had stopped questioning Kane's motives long ago.

They boarded a commuter plane for the quick 30 minute flight to Abu Dhabi. It was open seating and Punk took a seat in the last row, far away from the rest of the passengers. The plane was practically empty but John took the seat next to his. Punk moved to pull the armrest down, putting some sort of barrier between him and John but John scooted closer to him, making it impossible. Punk turned to look out the window trying to ignore the fact that he could feel the heat coming off John's body. He felt John lay his hand over his, entwining their fingers. Punk never took his eyes off the skyline, he should stop this immediately but his body was working independently of his brain. John lifted their clasped hand to his chest and Punk could feel John's heart fluttering against the back of his hand. John's other hand came up to cup his cheek. Punk couldn't help himself and he turned to face John, finding him much closer than he thought. Punk just watched as John moved closer still. Punk's eyes fell closed the moment their lips touched. The kiss wasn't rushed or desperate, John was kissing him slow and deep, as if he was learning Punk all over again. Punk finally regained his senses and pushed John away, but John leaned in and tried to kiss him again. Punk held his hand up between them shaking his head. John wrapped one arm around his waist, tucking his head into Punk's neck, his lips brushed over the tattoo behind his ear.

"Please, Phil, please, come back to me. I don't want to go through my life without you."

"We're broken John. You broke us. There's nothing left to save."

"Don't say that." John's arms tightened around him until it was bordering on pain.

The captain came over the speakers and announced they would be landing momentarily.

"John, let go."

"Never."

"John, we're landing, you have to let go."

John kissed him behind the ear softly and unclenched his arms from around Punk as the plane touched down. John stared at him longingly as they taxied to the gate. Everyone stood up to deplane.

"You're wrong Phil, we'll never be over," John rose, walking down the aisle. Punk watched his retreating back and knew that John was absolutely right. It would never be over.

They barely made it to the arena in time for the first of 3 house shows. The road agent informed him that he would be wrestling Ziggler that night in the main event. He changed into his gear and he could feel Kofi's eyes on him, knowing that something had happened. Kofi didn't push, just asked him if he wanted to watch from backstage while he wrestled Jericho. Punk watched as Kofi beat Jericho with a particularly fierce Trouble in Paradise. Jericho stormed past him, Kofi following him shortly after, smiling broadly.

"That was one hell of a match. Maybe I should be worrying about you in the Elimination Chamber and not Jericho."

"You're damn right. It's going to be me and you at the end."

"I look forward to it."

They both made their way backstage, passing John in the hall. John veered in front of him, cradling his face between his hands and kissing him briefly before continuing down the hall to the arena entrance.

"What the hell happened in Dubai?" Kofi asked, shocked by this swift turn of events.

"I couldn't explain it even if I wanted to."

Kofi accepted Punk's answer and spoke no more about it. They waited around in companionable silence until it was time for his match with Ziggler. He approached the arena entrance as saw that Ziggler was already there.

Ziggler smiled warmly at him but it left Punk cold. Everything that he thought he found appealing about Ziggler had fallen away. He needed to end this charade as soon as possible. He had encouraged Ziggler and now he needed to tell him unequivocally that anything between them was impossible. Punk felt guilty for his actions and needed to free himself from this situation as soon as possible.

"Have you finished thinking yet?"

"Yes. After the match we'll talk. Text me your room number after we get to the hotel."

Ziggler entered the arena followed by Punk. The match was as competitive as usual but Punk was sick to his stomach. Every time Ziggler touched him it made him feel guilty and dirty. Ziggler rolled to the outside. Punk would do anything to end this match. He took a running start and went flying through the ropes, performing a brutal suicide dive. He knew neither one of them would recover enough to get back in the ring. He just needed to wait for the interminable count to 10 for them both to be counted out. Boo's rang out through the arena. Punk turned his head to see Laurinaitis throw Ziggler back into the ring. No matter what his current state of mind was, there was no way that he was going to let Laurinaitis get the better of him. He pulled himself up using the ring apron and rolled back in as the count reached 9. He immediately pulled Ziggler onto his feet and hit the GTS, ending the match. He hurried to the locker room, desperately needing a shower that would hopefully stop his skin from crawling.

The guys made plans to go out to get something to eat and Kofi didn't even bother to extend the invitation to Punk, seeing that he was in no state for company. Punk settled for a Diet Pepsi and a Larabar, both waiting and dreading for the text from Ziggler. Punk's phone signaled that he had a text and he had to force himself to read it, but it wasn't from Ziggler. The text was from John but there were no words, only a picture of him and John from happier days. They kept coming and any resolve that Punk had was being wiped out by John's texts. He should have known that the slight show of affection that he had given John would be enough to encourage John to pursue him relentlessly. After all, it had only taken a few marginally friendly words for John to pursue him all those months ago.

He had seen Ziggler's room number come over during the onslaught of texts from John but he didn't even bother to read it. The photos finally stopped coming but a few minutes later his phone beeped again. He pulled up the message from John. It was not another picture but a number. It was John's room number. Punk was heading to the door without even thinking.

He arrived in front of John's door but couldn't bring himself to knock. Punk turned to walk away but the door opened and John pulled him into the room, backing him up against the door. John wrapped his arms around Punk, threading his hands through Punk's hair and fusing their mouths together. They kissed, tongues tangling together. Punk didn't even bother to try and resist, it had been too long and he wanted it too much. John brought their bodies flush together and Punk could feel, even through the layers of clothes, that John was just as hard as he was. John skimmed him hands down Punk's side, lifting his shirt and pulling it over his head. John lowered his head, kissing down his neck and across his collar bones. John moved farther south, lowering himself to his knees. He sucked kisses over his hip bones and pulled Punk's shorts down a few inches revealing his tattoo. John rested his head on Punk's stomach, his breath hitching and stared up at Punk.

"I was so afraid that it wouldn't be there. I would have died if you had gotten it removed," John said, a tear leaking from his eye.

Punk reached down to wipe the tear away, "I would never get rid of it, never."

John smiled at him, dimples in full force, and lowered his head back to softly kiss the tattoo before moving to the other hip bone. He sucked the skin into his mouth, his teeth grazing the area. Punk knew John had left a mark when he pulled back and stared at the place his mouth had been, running his fingertips over the livid mark he had left on Punk's skin. John pulled Punk's shorts and boxers down his legs. His fingers dug into the sides of Punk's hips, John lowered his mouth to Punk's cock, sucking him in until his nose was brushing Punk's stomach. John bobbed his head quickly. There was no way he could last, it had been to long, and it was John. John moaned around his cock and the vibrations made Punk's hips jerk and he was coming down John's throat. He felt John's throat clench around him as he swallowed. John wrapped his arms around Punk's middle, so tightly as if he was afraid Punk would disappear.

"God, the way you taste, you're just as sweet as I remember."

John lifted Punk off his feet, carrying him over to the bed and laying him down. John stripped down and lay on top of Punk. The skin on skin contact made him feel alive in a way he hadn't felt in a long time. John pulled his knees apart nestling his hips between Punk's.

"I want to feel you, I want to be inside you, please say yes."

"Yes."

Punk should have asked for lube, should have asked for preparation, but he didn't ask for any of it. He wanted to feel everything.

John entered him slowly, stilling when he was fully sheathed, his hips meeting Punk's.

"God, I missed this, the way you feel around me, there's nothing in the world that can possibly compare to it."

John's hips started to move, keeping his strokes slow and deep, as if trying to savor every moment. John's cock grazed his prostate and Punk locked his legs and arms around John.

"Right there, god John, please more."

John hips picked up speed, keeping his hips angled to hit Punk's prostate on every stroke. Punk was hard again, his cock trapped between their stomachs. The friction was amazing but he needed more.

"John, please, touch me."

"Not yet."

John laced his fingers through Punk's and held them over Punk's head. John leaned down to kiss Punk, his strokes more frenetic. Punk squeezed his muscles around John's cock and John was only able to hold on for a few more strokes until Punk felt John coming deep inside him. John rested his head on Punk's chest.

"John…"

John rolled over, Punk lying on top of him.

"I want you to come inside me, please Phil, fuck me."

Punk unlaced their hands and slid into John. Punk tried to move slowly but it was no use. John was hot and tight and Punk was already too far gone. He stroked in and out of John with wild abandon. John began moaning his name continuously. Hearing his name Punk was only able to hold out for a few more moments before coming. Punk rolled to John's side, his chest heaving. John turned them on their sides and pressed his body to Punk's back, looping his arm around Punk's waist. John rested his forehead against the base of Punk's neck, running his lips idly over the skin.

"You have no idea how much I missed you, missed this. It's like an ache that never seems to go away," John murmured into his neck. "I haven't slept in properly in weeks but now that you're here I can't keep my eyes open. I don't want to miss a thing."

"I'm pretty sure we could both use a night of uninterrupted sleep."

"Promise me you'll be here when I wake up."

Punk raised John's hand to his mouth and kissed his palm. He could hear John's breath evening out and the movement of John's chest and the sound of his breathing lulled him to sleep.

* * *

><p>Punk's eyes flew open, disoriented for a minute until memories of last night came flooding back. He looked over his shoulder and John was fast asleep beside him. They used to sleep practically on top of each other but John had rolled away in the night. Punk panicked, immediately grabbing his clothes and got out of John's room as fast as his legs could take him. He returned to his and Kofi's room to find Kofi already awake.<p>

"Where have you been? I was worried…"

And then Kofi took a good look at him.

"What happened?"

"John," and then Punk grabbed his bag and ran into the bathroom, slamming the door shut behind him. He could smell John's particular scent wafting off his body. He stripped out of his clothes and turned the shower on but he didn't get in. He moved to the mirror and could see the hickey below his hip bone, the finger shaped bruises around his lower hips, his mouth red and swollen. He sat on the floor, letting the water steam up the bathroom, but he couldn't bring himself to wash John off his body.

_AN: When I started this chapter I realized that for me to get from point A to B would require a chapter the length of a novella so I split in into two sections. The next chapter should be out in the next couple of days. I won't tell you how long this chapter had been completed but I had to let it sit because I was very conflicted about it. I want to smack Punk for running away and I wrote it that way!_


	18. Chapter 18

**February 12, 2012**

When Punk finally left the safety of the bathroom Kofi opened his mouth to speak but when he got a good look at Punk's face he closed his mouth. Punk thought Kofi had a talent for judging his moods but he knew that Kofi couldn't stay quiet for long and Punk probably should get things off his chest before his head exploded.

Punk pitched forward, face down on his bed.

"Would you mind telling the road agent that I'm suffering from some horrific Middle Eastern plague," Punk said, his words muffled by the pillow his head was resting on.

"Why? Didn't you work things out with John?"

"Not exactly."

"Oh, hell, what did you do?"

"Cut and ran for it while he was still sleeping."

"John is not going to be a happy camper."

"I also told Ziggler I would come by his room last night. I was finally going to put an end to the insanity that had overcome me where he is concerned."

"You're going to have both John and Ziggler hunting you down tonight. Although I hate to lie I think if anyone needs to be suffering from a fictitious disease it's you. I'll tell the road agent you're sick but I think you need to man up and sort this mess out."

Punk turned over and grabbed his cell phone that he had abandoned when he went to John's room. There were numerous missed calls and texts from Ziggler. He wasn't expecting the same from John. John was more likely to corner him in person at some point tonight.

He and Kofi made their way to the arena and into the locker room. He wanted to keep his head down and pretend that there weren't two sets of eyes boring into him. He looked up and met John's eyes first. John looked so hurt and confused. John jerked his head to the door of the locker room but Punk just shook his head. When he looked for Ziggler he found that Ziggler was no longer looking at him but glaring at John instead. Punk wished he could avoid them both forever but that was going to be impossible. Punk again accompanied Kofi to the arena entrance to watch his match with Jericho. Unfortunately Jericho came out on top this time. When Kofi returned he didn't look all that put out.

"Win or lose, the more I wrestle Jericho the more I can dial in on his style. I'm going to be the one pinning him in the Elimination Chamber. Maybe I'll get a shirt that says "Best in the World at Beating the Best in the World."

"I don't think that will fit on the back of a shirt."

Punk watched Kofi's smile disappear as he looked at a spot over his shoulder. Punk was afraid to turn around but knew that whoever it was he had it coming.

"Where were you last night?" Ziggler asked, his question having and air of hurt and not his usual pompous inflection.

"Something came up."

"You mean something with John came up. I'm not blind you know. I saw the way John was looking at you in the locker room."

"Do you really want to have this conversation at the gorilla position which everyone on the roster has to frequent at some point tonight?"

"You're right. This probably isn't the time for exhibition."

"I promise I'll show up tonight, regardless of what other things might come up."

Punk found that winning could alter his current disposition because after his and Ziggler's match Punk's win had lightened his mood considerably. Ziggler made his way backstage with Punk making his way back after a few minutes of playing up to the crowd. His good mood took a nosedive when he passed through the curtain and walked into the fray that was already in progress.

"No, you shut the fuck up! You ran around with Ryder behind his back and that is your own fucking fault. He's never going to forgive you. No matter what you do you could never make him happy again so back off. If you have any tiny shred of feeling for him left you'll step the hell off and let him be happy," Ziggler was screaming, practically nose to nose with John.

"You don't have the first clue what it takes to make Phil happy. I would love to see you fail spectacularly because he's mine and he always will be but I don't want you anywhere near him. You will always be his second choice."

"I'd rather be second choice than have no chance at all because I screwed it all up. I'm not a moron like you. I'll take what I can get and teat him like he deserves. He'll forget all about you eventually and I'll be the one holding his hand when he gets your name erased from his body."

"What…how do you even…" Punk watched as all the color drained from John's face at Ziggler's last volley. Punk's moment of pure insanity with Ziggler was now outted and John looked crushed. After all, there was only one way that Ziggler could have acquired that sensitive bit of information. Punk just couldn't let his go on for any longer.

"Can you both stop, please?" Punk asked quietly, completely out of character. His usual response to a situation like this would be to join in. Both men looked his way, John and Ziggler both realizing that Punk had been present for a portion of their screaming match.

"Punk!"

"Phil!"

Both men chorused simultaneously.

"I'm not some toy to be fought over in the sandbox. I take full responsibility for things getting to this point. If you two could just wait until we get back to the hotel I promise things will be settled by the end of the night. John, I believe you have a match and I need a shower. I'll see you both tonight."

Although Punk had determined that this couldn't go on for any longer it didn't mean that he wanted to have those two conversations. He even agreed to go out with the rest of the guys for dinner, to put off the inevitable for another hour or so and to get his head straight.

Punk returned from dinner and was immediately accosted in the hallway.

"You're coming to my room, now," John said, grabbing him by the bicep and forcefully leading him down the hall to his room.

"I have something I need to do first," Punk said, digging in his heels and stopping their movement.

"What? Ziggler? He can wait."

"No, it really can't."

"You ready to talk or whatever," Ziggler said as he stopped beside Punk, grasping his other bicep in his hand. He could feel John's nails bite into his skin. Punk jerked his arm free of both men.

"If you two persist in treating me like a possession then the answer to both of you will be no way in hell!"

Both men immediately backed off.

"Ziggler, let's go to your room."

"Phil!"

"I'll talk to you later, okay?" Punk just turned and followed Ziggler to his room not wanting to see the look on John's face.

"Now that we don't have an audience how about we engage in some behavior that's not fit for public consumption?"

"That's never going to happen. Whatever it is between us has to stop."

"Don't say that you don't want to be with me. I've seen the look on your face when we're together."

"You're not wrong. To be honest you have a whole list of qualities that I find appealing but at this point you would be my rebound and I'll only end up hurting you because this thing with me and John, it's going to take a while for the connection to loosen enough so that I can be with someone that isn't him, giving that person a fair chance."

"I don't want some chance down the line, I want you now, however screwed up in the head you might be."

"That's hardly fair to you."

"I don't care about fairness. I can deal with you being fractured emotionally as long as I'm the one to put you back together. I can make you happy, we both know I can, all you need to do is give me a chance."

"I can't," and Punk made his was to the door.

"You're wrong. I'm not going to give up because I know I'm right."

"Can't you just do what I'm asking for?"

"Never. I don't know how to just give something up when I know how much it's worth."

Punk walked out into the hallway and leaned against the wall. The conversation with Ziggler did not work out the way he had wanted. Ziggler would not just let him go without a fight. He was ready to give Punk all the things that John couldn't. Punk almost didn't want to go to John's room when the conversation with Ziggler had not gone even remotely like he had planned. Punk knew he couldn't go back to his room and throw the covers over his head. He had to talk to John and he had to do it now. He knocked on John's door and found himself jerked into the room forcefully, John pinning him to the door with a hand on his chest. With his other hand John reached below the waistband of his shorts, digging his nails into his tattoo.

"How the fuck did Ziggler know about this!"

"I almost did something stupid, but I put a stop to it before anything happened."

"Nothing happened?"

"Nothing."

"Alright, I can accept that," and John pulled back, walking in to his room and sitting down on the bed. John had left room for Punk to sit next to him but Punk elected to stand in front of John."

"Why weren't you here when I woke up this morning?"

"I had to get out of here."

"Why?"

"Honestly, I don't know. It was my first instinct."

"Didn't last night mean anything to you?"

"It did, but one night isn't going to fix things between us. Ryder isn't on this trip. If he was that would have never happened."

"Why are you so jealous of him?"

"I'm not jealous of him, I'm disappointed in you."

"Why do you want to hurt me like this?"

"Your behavior with Ryder tore me apart. If you're feeling even half the hurt I do you'd realize that something has to change."

"If Ryder was out of my life would you come back?"

"I wish I could say that you've hurt me irreparably and there's no way to fix it but that would be lying. If Ryder was gone I would come back. It would take some time for things to get back to the way there were."

"How long would you give me?"

"To do what?"

"To decide whether I destroy a friendship or destroy us?"

"The end of Raw. If you can't figure out who you want to be with by then, well, there's no hope for us at all."

John rose from his seat and walked toward Punk, who stopped him with a hand on his chest. "No. Let's not confuse things more than they already are. You need to decide and until you do it's probably best that we don't have contact."

"Are you and Ziggler through?"

"I told him that nothing could ever happen between us but he doesn't seem to be very accepting of that."

"Well, I know how that feels. I wouldn't let you go either."

**February 11, 2012**

It was the last show in the UAE and John was as good as his word, keeping his distance from him. He would be saying the exact opposite of Ziggler if the road agents hadn't finally done something in his favor. For the last show it was Kofi that took on Ziggler, beating him after a hard fought match. Kofi had been at his best on this trip and while Laurinaitis seemed not to know Kofi's value it was more than apparent to Punk. He ended up teaming with Truth against Jericho and Miz. Truth was starting to grow on him. He may be batshit crazy but he was immensely entertaining. He and Truth got the win but Punk really couldn't say that he had much to do with it. The animosity between Miz and Truth took center stage and Punk and Jericho were never in the ring together. The roster went back to the hotel, packing their things to catch their flight back to the states for Raw, leaving the UAE behind. Punk just wished he could leave the mess he found himself in behind as well.

_AN: This took longer than expected due to my total marking out last Monday. Apparently all the talking to my TV I've done has not imbued it with artificial intelligence because I kept yelling, "Shut the fuck up!" but the TV neither muted itself or changed over to another channel. I'm lucky I wrote this early this morning because now I'm confronted with the John Cena car accident report. WWE, you're killing me here!_


	19. Chapter 19

_AN: I posted the last chapter when the alerts were down so you may have to back up a chapter to prevent confusion._

**February 13, 2012**

_Monday Night Raw_

Punk walked into the arena in San Diego with great trepidation. It was the final Raw before the Elimination Chamber and he was sure that was supposed to mean something to him but the only thing on his mind was the decision that he had left in John's hands. He would know by the end of the night if John's love for him trumped the friendship he had with Ryder. Punk had come to realize during the trip home from the UAE that friendship was all that lay between John and Ryder. John wouldn't have taken him to bed if he was seeing Ryder no matter what gloating Ryder had been throwing his way. He had no idea if Ryder would even be in attendance tonight. On the way to his assigned locker room he was stopped by a road agent that said there would be an Elimination Chamber debate to start off the show. Punk wondered if Laurinaitis had been watching too much C-SPAN to come up with this idea. He was sure that a WWE debate would be far more entertaining than the Republican version of events. He was also informed that he would be facing Miz tonight in the ring. Miz couldn't get a win to save his life these days so he wasn't overly concerned.

He entered the locker room and took a place next to Kofi. Randy was nowhere to be found and John was conspicuously absent. He turned to talk to Kofi who seemed just as mystified as why they were having a debate. He liked dropping a pipe bomb here and there but this seemed moronic even to someone that liked to talk as much as him. He would have to listen to 5 other guys pontificate on how they were going to win in the Chamber. The only person's opinion that he cared about was Kofi's and the only person he actually cared to listen to was Truth. He looked down the row and there was Truth, talking to himself in a corner and that could only promise an entertaining display of insanity. Kofi changed into his full gear while Punk pulled street clothes over his. While these segments usually degenerated into a full out brawl he was so not in the mood tonight and he didn't walk around in suits like some people so could fight easily in any clothing he owned if need be. He and Kofi made their way to the arena entrance to find Ziggler and Vickie waiting alone. Apparently everyone else had already entered the arena. Ziggler smiled and winked at him before he and Vickie entered the arena, followed by Kofi then himself. Punk started laughing when he saw the ring. There were actual podiums. Even though Laurinaitis had managed to get his Interim position back he really had no chance of getting that title changed to permanent if this was the best idea he could come up with. Punk looked across the ring at Jericho who was glaring at each man in turn before his eyes landed on Punk. Jericho smirked at him and he answered Jericho with a smirk of his own. Jericho had called out everyone in the ring last Monday for plagiarizing him in every way possible. There had not been any repetition of that in the UAE and Punk had let it slip from his mind. On the list of things he had to worry about Jericho was not at the top of the list.

They were all standing at their podiums when Raw finally went on the air. They showed the footage of Kane terrorizing Eve and then Kane came on the screen promising that John would embrace hate and then the camera panned over to show the ambulance that was stationed backstage for all their events in case of injury. Kane assured the audience that someone would be taking a ride in that ambulance tonight. He actually hoped that Ryder would be in attendance tonight because if John's decision wasn't in his favor then he would probably lose it and send Ryder out in an ambulance.

Lawler was mediating the debate and started out with him, asking the obvious question of why he thought he would be the last one standing in the Elimination Chamber. Before he could respond Laurinaitis, with Otunga in tow, interrupted him. Punk leaned into the microphone, "Boo!" inciting the fans to boo Laurinaitis even more than they already were. Apparently the only reason Laurinaitis was out there was to kiss the ass of the Board of Directors. Thankfully Laurinaitis left and Punk almost choked on oxygen when Lawler referred to him as "Mr. Punk." That had to be worse than people uninvitingly calling him Phil or when his mother used his whole name which indicated that he had done something that had completely exasperated her. The question came back to him. Punk phrased his answer in 3 parts. The 1st being a promise to the fans that the debate would not end in violence, which basically insured that the debate would, in all probability, end in violence. The 2nd being the reprehensible dirt that Laurinaitis must have on the Board for them to allow Laurinaitis to continue in his present position. He again got to use his favorite insult by referring to Laurinaitis as clown shoes and his newest insult, snickelfritz. While it cracked him up, it seemed lost on most of the fans. Punk thought the newest nickname was very apt. After all, Laurinaitis frequently did things that were just plain wrong, so much so that he could only be mocked and laughed at, trying to set him straight being completely useless. The 3rd a final part being that he was the best wrestler in the world and Punk left it at that.

Lawler turned to Ziggler for a response but all he got was Vickie jumping in front of Ziggler, practically pushing her client out the way, and screeching at the audience. Punk thought for perhaps the 100th time that Ziggler really needed to shake Vickie loose if he ever wanted to gain any type of respect from the fans. Ziggler finally answered the question saying he was better than everyone in the ring, but only calling Punk out by name. Ziggler really had the strangest ideas about flirtation. Then he attacked Truth, saying that he didn't even know what state they were in. Punk turned to Truth who was next to him, eager to hear the insanity that Truth was going to let go. Punk was cracking up laughing in no time when Truth phrased his answer as if he was actually running for public office and his campaign promise was to trade Vickie and Ziggler to Smackdown for Hornswoggle and a box of spiders. Punk had no idea what had happened to Truth in his childhood to incite his obsession with spiders. If Punk thought he could ask and Truth not take a swing at him he would. It was probably quite a story. Truth continued on, calling Lawler "Your Honor" as if he was on the stand. Truth finished off his tour de force with "God Bless Little Jimmy and God Bless the United States of America." Punk put his hand over his heart as if he was about to say the pledge of allegiance, noticing that he was the only one that found Truth's brand of crazy hilarious. There was a serious lack of humor in this debate.

Lawler turned it over to Miz but before he could speak he picked up Ziggler saying, "Look he's scowling, he means business," mocking Miz whose podium was right next to Ziggler's. That didn't really assure that Miz had heard the insult because the sound he liked best was his own voice.

Miz started going on and on about being the main event at the last WrestleMania. Punk tuned him out because the ways the WWE could change over the course of a year was astronomical. You could go from being Champion to being beaten by Hornswoggle in a year's time. Miz took a page from Jericho's playbook and started insulting them all one by one. Punk couldn't do anything but smile when Miz tried to insult him but somehow forgot how the English language works and bumbled some sort of insult. Miz was truly becoming more useless by the day. Punk's attention was grabbed when the buzzer went off repeatedly signaling that Miz had gone over his time. He was pretty sure everyone else had gone over their time as well but whoever was manning the buzzer must have been as bored as he was by Miz's rambling.

Kofi seemed to have taken Miz's insult about being an afterthought very personally. From the looks on everyone in the debate's faces it seemed like they all thought the same way as the Miz. Punk knew they were all in for a surprise at the Elimination Chamber. Punk even started chanting "Kofi" along with the fans. Finally it went to Jericho. Punk was listening but he started looking around the arena, having conversations with the fans in the front row, playing with the tape on his wrists, anything but give his full attention to Jericho. Jericho even went so far as to call him "boy." Punk finally acted like his attention had been caught and denied hearing anything that Jericho had said. Jericho started muttering to himself, the mic wasn't picking it up and Punk couldn't read his lips, but he was damn sure he had pissed Jericho off royally. He dug the knife in deeper when he brought up Jericho's pathetic showing on Dancing with the Stars. Lawler announced Jericho vs. Kofi as the next match but Jericho pushed Kofi out of the way and stood in front of Punk, mouthing off. Punk just held his title up in the air as he watched Kofi take position behind Jericho. Jericho finally turned his attention to Kofi only to get hit by a brutal Trouble in Paradise. Kofi definitely had Jericho's attention who was writhing on the ground and Punk would bet that the rest of the competitors in the Chamber were rethinking their opinion of Kofi as well.

Punk made his way backstage and found Randy sitting in the monitor bay.

"Running late today?"

"No. I went to find John. He requested a private locker room for tonight."

"Why?"

"Apparently Ryder is going to be here tonight."

"Joy," Punk stated sarcastically but in his mind he was feeling anything but amused.

"Listen, John told me what happened in the UAE. You know I'm behind you concerning this Ryder thing but you can't jerk John around like that, it isn't fair."

"I guess John didn't tell you that there's going to be a resolution to this clusterfuck tonight?"

"He did not."

"I gave him until the end of the show. Either he picks me or Ryder. He can't have both."

"You can't either. Where's Ziggler, huh? You usually don't have to look very far to find him haunting your steps."

"I tried to end that but Ziggler doesn't seem to want to let it go."

"If you and John do get back together that's not going to end well for Ziggler."

"It already hasn't. They were seconds away from coming to blows backstage at one of the house shows."

When Punk didn't get an answer from Randy he turned fully to face Randy but he was looking over Punk's shoulder in disgust.

"Excuse Me!"

"Oh hell!"

"I need to talk to you Punk."

"I'm sorry. My quota for shrieking harpies has been filled for the night. You can try again tomorrow."

"We are going to have this conversation whether you want to or not. If you don't get up and follow me into the hallway I'm going to start talking right now and you know how much my voice can carry."

"Punk, please, take her away from here before she starts yelling in my ear," Randy said, shooing them both away with his hands. Punk stood and followed Vickie into the hallway.

"Here, take this," and Vickie held out a room key.

"Uh, thanks but no thanks. My taste doesn't run to scantily clad grandmothers."

"Shut up smart ass, it's to Dolph's room."

"I still don't want it."

"Well you're going to take it. Go to his room tonight…"

"Are you pimping out your clients now?"

"No, I'm trying to get Dolph's obsession with you taken care of before the Elimination Chamber. He's totally distracted and it's all your fault. Take the damn room key and do whatever it is you do so he can get you out of his system. I can't imagine anyone would want to be around you for more than a night anyway."

"I don't think so."

"Take the damn key or I start screaming…" Punk made no move to take the key and Vickie started yelling obscenities.

"Fine, see, I'm taking the key, anything to get you to shut up."

"Fix this or you're going to find yourself with a new stalker," and Vickie huffed and stomped away. Punk returned to the monitor bay and Randy.

"What did the shrew want?"

"She gave me Ziggler's room key so I can have sex with him and end his infatuation with me."

"That's hilarious. Seriously, what did she want?"

Punk's only response was to take the room key out his pocket and hold it up in front of Randy.

"Has she gone completely around the bend? Better yet, have you? Why did you even take the damn thing?"

"Did you hear her screaming from the hallway?"

"Yes."

"Well that wouldn't have stopped unless I took the key."

"Tell me you're not considering…"

"Well, if John chooses Ryder…"

"Give me the fucking thing."

"What? You want to take my place?"

"No. I'm going to stop you from making the stupidest mistake of your life."

"I have no plans to do what Vickie…"

"Punk, give me the key or I'm going to punt you in the head…again."

"Fine. Take the damn thing. I wasn't going to use it anyway."

Punk looked up at the monitors when he heard Jericho's music playing. He had beaten Kofi. The cameras then picked up John in his locker room with Ryder who was spouting off some nonsense about being there for Eve. John showed no sign of backing away from his friendship with Ryder and Punk knew then that he and John were finished. Punk stood up slowly.

"I need to take a walk," Punk said quietly.

"That doesn't mean anything. John probably just doesn't want the cameras around when he gives Ryder the boot."

"Randy, I can tell that you're lying for my benefit, just stop," and Punk walked down the hallway, having no idea where he was going and not caring in the least. He kept walking, hoping that continued motion would stop him from breaking down but he eventually just collapsed in a hallway, far away from where anyone would find him. He slid down the wall and laid his head on his knees, the tears coming freely. John had chosen Ryder over him. Punk had considered the possibility that John might not choose him, but a larger part of him thought John would choose him. After everything that had happened, the good and the bad, how could John just throw it all away? They were in love. It was supposed to last forever. If he had known that this was how it was going to end he would have punched John in the mouth after the first kiss. He wouldn't be surprised in the slightest if John approached him at the next house show and to ask if they could be friends. He wasn't sure how long he stayed there until he heard a deep voice laughing at him. It was Kane.

"Did you know Ryder is in the arena tonight?" Punk forced out. Kane just laughed in his sickening way and kept walking.

Punk knew his match must be coming up soon and wiped his eyes and walked back to the arena entrance. Miz was there already and obviously pissed off.

"Are you afraid to get in the ring with me," Miz asked smarmily.

"What are you talking about?"

"We missed our slot. The girls went on instead of us."

"Are you really that eager for an ass kicking?"

"From the looks of you I don't think you're going to put up much of a fight."

Miz turned out to be completely correct. His performance in the ring was lackluster at best. He still managed to get the win, perfunctorily celebrating and then made his way back up the ramp. Inside he felt like he had been hollowed out. He barely even noticed when his arm was jerked and he was being pulled down the hall.

"Come with me," Eve said while dragging Punk down the hall.

"Where the hell are we going?"

"Just a little espionage."

"I'm not really in the mood to play James Bond."

"Good, because I'm James Bond, you're just Pussy Galore. John told me Zack was in the locker room and wanted to see me. When I was down the hall I saw him leave the room which he wouldn't do unless it was important because he certainly doesn't want to run into Kane again."

Punk and Eve searched the hallways closest to John's dressing room until they heard voices coming from a hallway up ahead. They crouched down and slid between the wall and a large rolling crate. If Punk wasn't in the middle of an emotional crisis he would probably believe this was beneath his dignity. The space was already a tight fit for him but Eve was able to crawl closer due to her smaller size. Punk immediately recognized the voices.

"This is not going to plan at all. You were supposed to get Punk in bed, ruining his and John's relationship forever. John would never take him back if he was damaged goods, but you're not getting anywhere."

"I'm getting closer than you are. The only thing John feels for you is pity. He's still in love with Punk and you haven't gotten any closer to him than you did since before Punk and Cena broke up."

"You're going to follow through on what you promised. You are going to get Punk to fall for you and break his heart, publically if possible."

"No."

"What do you mean, no?"

"If I can get Punk to date me I'm going to keep him."

"That wasn't the plan."

"Screw your fucking plan. I want Punk to be mine and if you do anything to fuck it up I'm going to end you. You think you're injured now, just wait until I get through with you. Punk hates you so much that if I beat you within an inch of your life it would drive him straight into my arms. Actually, that sounds like a perfect plan. Let's see how many bones I could break shall we?"

"You lay a hand on me and I'll go straight to John. He already hates you, that will just drive him over the edge."

"I'll take my chances with Cena; at least I'll have Punk there to tend to my wounds."

"Fine, keep the little bitch if you want to; just keep him away from John."

"That's the plan. This is the last conversation we'll be having. Have fun being John's guilt trip."

Punk saw Ziggler go one way and Ryder roll the other way. Punk stood up, hands clenched by his sides. He tried to follow Ziggler but lost him in the labyrinth of hallways. Punk returned to the monitor bay and looked around furiously but Ziggler was nowhere to be found.

"Where's Randy?"

"He's with the trainers. Bryan snuck up on him from behind and hit him over the back of the head with the belt. They think he might have a concussion," Kofi responded, knowing something else had gone horribly wrong.

"I'm going to find Randy."

"Wait! I think you'll want to see this," Kofi said, pointing at the monitors. Punk looked up to see John fighting in the backstage area with Kane and then John struggling with the closed doors of the ambulance yelling out Eve's name. What the hell had gone down while he was looking for Ziggler? Kane took John down and then entered the cab of the ambulance. John recovered soon enough to catch Eve jumping out the ambulance into John's arms. Punk watched dumbfounded as Eve and John started enthusiastically kissing.

Kofi looked at him, shocked to all hell. Punk just shook his head; this was all just way too far beyond the pale. He didn't even feel any sort of vicious thrill when Ryder caught John and Eve kissing, Ryder being completely humiliated in front of the entire WWE Universe.

"You know what? I don't give a fuck. I don't care if John's straight or gay or bi or in some sickening threesome with Ryder and Eve. They can have him. I have somewhere I need to be."

Punk walked toward the trainer's room and saw John coming toward him. John had the gall to smile at him, dimples and all, Punk just pushed John with all his strength and knocked him to the floor and kept walking.

"Phil, wait! I can explain."

"Have fun with that because I sure as fuck don't want to hear it," and Punk kept walking until he found the trainer's room and entered to find Randy laid out on the table.

"Randy, where's Ziggler's room key?"

"I'm a little busy here Punk."

"Room key, now!"

"Stop yelling, my head feels like it's going to split open."

"Randy, I need that key," Punk said, lowering his voice.

"You can keep asking but I'm not going to tell you."

"You have no idea what happened do you?"

"That sounds ominous."

"The camera caught John and Eve…kissing."

"And John pushed her off, so…"

"He did not push her off; he was a very willing participant."

"What the fuck!" Randy yelled and sat up abruptly and immediately clutched his head. "Fuck me this hurts. I've never really wanted to hear the details of you and John's sex life, but what exactly did you do in the UAE to turn John straight?"

"Oh, ha ha. Randy made a joke."

"Phil…I'm sorry…"

"Don't even. It is funny. It's a goddamn tragicomedy. I'm just the only one not laughing it up. Returning to my earlier request, Ziggler's room key?"

"That's not the answer to this mess."

"Then what is?"

"I have no fucking clue. Don't fuck your life up even more by doing something stupid."

"Fuck my life up more? Is that even possible? You know what; I don't need you to tell me where it is. They're in your pants, in the locker room," Punk turned on his heel leaving the room, hearing Randy calling back to him not to leave. Punk made it to the locker room and found the key in Randy's jean pocket. Punk pulled his street clothes on over his gear and caught a cab, paying the driver extra to step on it. He raced up the stairs to Ziggler's room and slid the card through, unlocking the door.

_AN: Don't you just love a cliffhanger? For those of you who want more Punk/Ziggler I just posted a short one shot, short on substance but it has it's appeal._


	20. Chapter 20

Punk walked into Ziggler's room, Ziggler looking up from where he was lying on the bed.

"Vickie said to stay in my room tonight but I had no idea that she managed to put you on the room service menu. I thought you were through with me?"

"Some things happened tonight that made me change my mind. You were right. John treated me horribly, but the sliver lining is now I can trade up for something that will be better for me than John ever was."

"I know that I'm someone better for you than John ever could be. I was starting to worry that you would never see it."

"I'm in your hotel room and not with someone else aren't I?."

Ziggler gave Punk a dazzling smile, getting off the bed and approaching Punk, stopping a few inches away but then he hesitated.

"I'm not going to say no or push you away. I want you to put your hands on me; I've wanted it for so long."

Ziggler closed the remaining distance, wrapping one arm around Punk's waist, sliding his hand under Punk's t-shirt and palming the warm bare skin of Punk's back. Ziggler cupped the back of Punk's head, tilting it up, their lips barely brushing. Ziggler breathed out a quiet sigh as the contact increased, pulling Punk closer until their bodies were pressing together. Punk skimmed his hands up Ziggler's back, sinking his fingers into Ziggler's hair and pulled back with all his strength.

"Ow, that fucking hurts!"

"I know it does and that's only the beginning, you're going to be so broken down by the end of the night you'll hardly be able to move," Punk whispered into Ziggler's ear.

"Uh, I think that's a little too rough for me."

"It's what you deserve don't you think?" Punk said with a shifty smile.

"I don't…I don't understand."

"Did you think I wouldn't find out about the scheme you and Ryder concocted? You have no idea how much I've suffered over the past few months, but you will…" and Punk viciously kneed Ziggler in his kidney, releasing Ziggler who was holding his side in pain. Punk delivered another knee, this time clipping Ziggler under his jaw and a line of blood started trickling out the corner of his mouth.

"Aww, did you bite down too hard? It doesn't really matter. The time for your sweet and seductive words is through," Punk kicked Ziggler in the stomach, Ziggler doubling over in pain. Punk delivered another kick to Ziggler's chest, sending him careening into the wall, knocking over the lamp on the bureau. Ziggler fell to the ground. Punk mounting Ziggler's chest, his weight pressing down on his diaphragm, Ziggler gasping for air.

"You destroyed my relationship with John. You ruined my life and now you get to pay," Punk yelled, banging Ziggler's head repeatedly against the wall.

"Help!"

"Oh keep screaming, that makes this all the more enjoyable. Even if anyone hears they won't care. That's how much everyone loathes you, but no one more than me."

Ziggler pushed Punk off of him and ran to the connecting door, banging on it furiously. Punk grabbed Ziggler's hair again, pulling out clumps and throwing him back to the floor. Punk mounted him again, wrapping his hands around Ziggler's throat. Punk faintly heard a banging on Ziggler's door but he was too incensed to even care.

"You destroyed everything, everything! You ruined my life and I lost the only thing that means anything to me! I'll never get it back and it's all your fault!"

The door to Ziggler's room flew open.

"Jesus Christ, he's trying to kill the guy, pull Punk off him!" Swagger shouted as Kofi ran forward and wrapped his hands around Punk, pinning his arms to his side and pulling him off Ziggler. Punk struggled against Kofi's grip and ran back to Ziggler, brutally kicking him in the side. Punk was pulled off Ziggler again, this time held back by Kofi, Show and Sheamus. They began to drag him out the door, Swagger and Vickie crouching down my Ziggler's side.

"What did you do to him!" Vickie shrieked.

"Exactly what he had coming to him. You think this is over Ziggler! It's not even close. During every match at every house show you are going to get more of the same. I'm going to enjoy the fuck out of choking you out day after day!"

Punk started struggling again and Show lifted him off his feet.

"Punk, calm down!"

"I will not calm down. Do you know what he did! He and Ryder fucked my entire life up and I'll never get back everything he's stolen from me!"

"Set him the fuck down," John shouted.

"We can't John, if you could see what he did to Ziggler. He practically tried to kill the guy."

"Good, it saves me the trouble of doing it myself. Let him go now!"

Punk's captors reluctantly released him, Punk's eyes darting around manically, wondering if he was fast enough to get past them.

"Phil, come to my room."

"Why, so you can introduce me to your new girlfriend?"

"That kiss with Eve? It was all fake; Eve said it was the best way to humiliate Zack. She said she told you."

"She didn't tell me anything."

"She said you were with her when you overheard Zack and Ziggler."

"I was. Why are you so willing to humiliate your best friend?"

"Eve played me the recording."

"What recording?"

"She taped the conversation and played it for me, she said you knew."

"Well I didn't."

"This whole situation is just fucked to hell. Phil, please, just come to my room with me."

"Why? You want to hurt me even more than you already have?"

"Phil, please! I was naive and stupid and never thought Ryder could possibly do anything so horrible. I don't know how anyone could do something so horrible. You told me Ryder was up to something and I didn't believe you. You have no idea how sorry I am. You're not the only one whose life has been ripped to shreds. Phil, please, come with me."

Punk nodded slightly at John who took his hand and led him to his room. The door closed behind them and Punk collapsed to the floor, angry tears leaking out his eyes.

"There's nothing to say, we're broken beyond repair, there's nothing left to save."

"Don't say that, don't ever say that. We can fix this. The only thing that matters is that we're together."

"How can you even say that? How can I trust anything that you say? I told you so many times that Ryder was up to something and you just ignored me and threw me to the side. You treated me like you didn't care about my feelings at all. That's not how you treat someone you're supposedly in love with."

"There's no supposedly. I'm in love with you, I'll never stop, it won't ever be over, I can't let you go. Please just forgive me."

"I'm not sure I can do that."

"Please don't say that, please. Let's just get out of here, away from everyone and everything. We have 2 days before the Elimination Chamber media blitz. Come with me to Tampa."

"I don't think that's going to solve the problem, just make it worse. I won't be able to think about anything else but you and Ryder being there together."

"What are you talking about? Ryder has never gone with me to Tampa."

"But Eve said…"

"Eve says a lot doesn't she, and none of it true. It's a shame Ryder wasn't really after her because I think they would be great together, 2 deceitful bitches. Right now I don't want to even think about any of that. We'll worry about it when we come back from Tampa. I just want us to be alone. You're the only one I care about right now, please come to Tampa."

"I'll come but I can't promise anything."

"I know everything can't be fixed in 2 days but I just want to be with you, away from all this."

"Okay, come get me in the morning when you get everything settled."

"Won't you stay the night?"

"I don't think I'm ready for that just yet."

"I understand, however you want to handle this is fine with me."

"Kofi's probably going crazy right now; I'll see you in the morning."

John leaned in, sliding his hand behind Punk's neck; John hesitated, looking at Punk for his reaction. Punk nodded ever so slightly, their lips meeting with just the barest of pressure. Punk was relieved when John pulled back, obviously not wanting to push him farther than he wanted to go. John got to his feet and pulled Punk up with him. I'll see you in the morning."

Punk walked down the hall to his and Kofi's room. He stared at Ziggler's door but the homicidal behavior he had exhibited earlier in the night had dissipated while he was in John's room. Every time he and Ziggler found themselves in the ring together Punk would make him pay. He entered the room to find Kofi asleep. Punk didn't know how he felt about that. He needed to talk to someone, not exactly trusting his own actions at this point. He walked over to his bed and there was a note on the hotel stationary.

"Randy wants you to come to his room when you get back. He said he'll be awake all night and not to worry about the time. He's in room 2050."

Punk was wary about going to Randy's room. There was a chance that John might go to Randy too. He had been John's friend before a friendship had ever developed between them. Punk didn't think he could be around John any more tonight, afraid that he might just give in without thinking it through, but he decided to go to Randy's room anyway. He knocked lightly on his door, not wanting to wake anyone else who might want an explanation for his actions that night. Randy answered the door and moved aside to let him in.

"What are you doing up at this time of the night?"

"They made me go to the hospital to get checked out. It's definitely a concussion and I'm supposed to be woken up every two hours. I'm not exactly in the mood to be around anyone right now."

"Then why did you ask me to come over?"

"I figured you needed someone to talk to, just keep your voice down, my head is still killing me. Kofi told me what happened tonight. If you would have just told me that's what you wanted the key for I would have given it to you, more than willingly. Hell, I would have probably shaken off the trainers and come with you. It's a shame that I'm going to be out for a few weeks or I would have asked Long for a match with Ziggler. You're not the only one who wants him to suffer for what he did. I've been with you every step of the way through this all. You'll at least be happy to know that Ryder got his."

"What do you mean?"

"They brought Ryder into the trainer's room with me. Apparently Kane pushed him off the stage while he was in his wheelchair. They ended up taking Ryder off in an ambulance so I have no idea what happened beyond that but honestly I don't even really care, he got what he deserved and that's the only thing that really matters.

"Is that the only thing you wanted to tell me?"

"No. Kofi told me that you went with John to his room after everything happened."

"I agreed to go to Tampa with him for a few days. The longer I'm away from John the less I think that it's a good idea. He wants everything to go back to the way they were, but I'm not sure I can do that."

"I can't give you any advice on how to forgive someone who did what John did to you, but I've been where John is many times. I've done so many stupid things that Samantha had to forgive me for. Honestly, I don't know if I would have been so kind had the shoe been on the other foot. I don't think I would be capable of that considering my nature, but the question is are you?"

"Right now I really don't know. I guess I'll know before we leave Tampa. I know I won't be able to just pick things up from where we left off but maybe I'll know if I'm even capable of forgiving him."

"I think that's the most John can ask of you right now."

"Do you want to sleep? I'll wake you up in 2 hours if you want."

"I'm too pissed to sleep. I'm not going to be able to compete in the Elimination Chamber. It was going to be the closest I had gotten to the title in a long time."

"The Elimination Chamber… that's like one of the last things on my mind right now. I've got to get myself together if I don't want to lose my title. I'm worried that when I get in the Chamber I'll care more about demolishing Ziggler than I will be about retaining the Championship. I almost hope I'll be one of the first entrants in the Chamber and Ziggler be the other. I could get him out of the way before anyone else gets the chance to enter."

"I think that's probably the first time any Chamber participant has actually wanted to come in first."

"That's just proof that I'm not exactly in my right mind right now."

"Why don't you go back to your room and try to get some sleep."

"There's no way in hell I'll be able to sleep."

"If things are meant to work themselves out they will, if not, there's nothing that you can do to change that."

"Thanks for letting me vent. I know that's not something you're usually up for."

"Well, we're friends aren't we?"

"Are we really?"

"Against all odds, we are."

"Goodnight Randy."

Punk returned to his and Kofi's room. He took off his clothes and lay down in bed. He spent the night staring at the wall.

**February 18, 2012**

"Punk, are you awake?"

"Yeah," and Punk rolled over to look at Kofi.

"Did you sleep at all last night?"

"Not a wink."

"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to but what happened after you went to John's room last night?"

"We talked. He wants me to come with him to Tampa for a few days."

"Are you going?"

"I said yes last night but now I'm not so sure."

"You should go."

"Is that your shining optimism at work here?"

"No, it's me telling you the hard truth. If you don't go you'll regret it, probably for the rest of your life.

"I know you're right, it just doesn't feel that way right now. I better get up and get dressed. I have no idea when John is coming to get me to head to the airport."

Punk pulled some clothes out and went to the bathroom to shower and get dressed. When he came out John was sitting on his unmade made facing Kofi. It was obvious he had interrupted the conversation they had been having.

"You ready to go?"

"Yeah, just let me round up my stuff." Punk retrieved all his things and packed them away. "Okay, I'm ready."

John grabbed his suitcase and they took the elevator down and got a cab to the airport, never speaking a word to each other. They went through security and were soon boarding the plane. The silence was getting to be very uncomfortable and Punk had to say something.

"What were you and Kofi talking about when I came out of the bathroom?"

"Kofi was threatening me about what would happen if I screwed up even more. That's some friend you have there."

"Kofi's great. He's not as spineless as everyone thinks he is."

"Yeah, I think I got that message loud and clear when he threatened to castrate me."

Punk just laughed quietly and leaned his head against the window. He fell asleep almost instantaneously.

Punk felt John shaking him awake as he felt the plane hit the runway. Punk was no longer leaning against the side of the plane but his head was pillowed on John's shoulder. The arm rest was not digging into his side so John must have put it up at some point during the flight. It seemed even in sleep he gravitated towards John. They finally made it to John's house. John took both their suitcases in hand as they entered the house. John walked to the staircase and hesitated.

"Where do you want to sleep?"

"The guest room would probably be best."

John nodded his head and walked up the stairs. Punk could tell that John was disappointed with his answer but Punk knew he wasn't ready to just fall back into bed with John no matter how much he wanted it. They grabbed a late lunch and then returned to John's house and watched movies. There was at least of foot of space between them but as time passed the space became smaller and smaller. Punk couldn't be sure if it was him, John, or both of them moving closer to each other without them ever noticing. Eventually the last of the space was gone; their bodies flush against each other. He heard John yawn loudly.

"I think I need a nap, I didn't sleep very well last night."

"I'll wake you up when it's time for dinner."

"Alright," and John lifted up Punk's arm, wrapping it around his shoulders and resting his head on Punk's chest. Punk stiffened up initially but then relaxed. It all felt so natural, to be with John like this. Punk kept watching the same movie again and again because he didn't want to disturb John to change the discs. Punk awoke John after a few hours when it was time for dinner. John was awake but made no move away from the position he had fallen asleep in.

"How about Chinese? We can have it delivered."

"That works for me."

They were seated at the bar in John's kitchen eating at the island. Punk eyes kept wandering to John's backyard where John's pool was located. Just seeing it brought up all sorts of memories of the time they had spent in it. Punk finally turned his attention back to John who was staring at him intently. Punk knew that the memories running through his mind was running through John's too. As the night wore on their conversation became less and less stilted. When they finally decided to go to bed, Punk followed John up the staircase to the bedrooms. John stopped at the top of the stairs and Punk could see him looking down the hallway where the guest room Punk had elected to stay in was located. Punk felt just as torn about the situation as John but stepped around him and headed to his room.

"Goodnight John, I'll see you in the morning."

"Goodnight Phil."

Punk could hear the longing in John's voice but he entered his room and closed the door behind him. He got ready for bed and slid under the covers. He couldn't seem to get to sleep, the wrongness of sleeping down the hall in what they once considered their house was palpable. Maybe an hour had passed when he heard his bedroom door open. Punk looked over his shoulder to see John standing in the doorway in his boxers. Punk didn't say a word, just lifting up the covers was permission enough for John to crawl into bed with him because he had been awake thinking of doing the same thing that John had done. Even though they were sharing the bed there was no part of their bodies touching, both of them lying on their back and staring at the ceiling. This was just stupid. Punk turned on his side, pulling John's arm around him, John rolling over to his side so they were lying spooned together. John let out a sigh and tightened his arm around Punk. They were both fast asleep in minutes.

**February 19, 2012**

Punk awoke to the feeling of John's breath tickling the back of his neck. Unlike the last time they had shared a bed, John had not rolled over in the night. If it was even possible they were even closer than they had been when they fell asleep, with John's leg tangled up with his. Punk could feel the heat of John's body pressed against his back. It felt too good to move. Punk stayed like that for a while and he could feel John start to awaken behind him. Punk lay completely still. He felt John start to lay gentle kisses on the back of his neck.

"God, Phil, I love you. If I can't have this for the rest of my life I don't know what I'm going to do."

Punk continued to lie still as John slid out of bed. Punk could hear John go down the stairs. Something had stirred in Punk's heart when John said those words but Punk hadn't turned around and returned those words. He wasn't sure he was ready for that yet. Punk let that thought torture him for a while until he finally forced himself out of bed to join John downstairs. John looked up as he entered the kitchen.

"We slept through breakfast. Do you want to go for a run, we can grab lunch after."

"Sure, just let me go change," and Punk walked back upstairs. He could tell John wanted to talk about last night but hadn't and neither did Punk.

They took John's car to a nearby park and started running. Talking was unnecessary as the kept pace with each other through the winding paths. It was still warm in Florida, even in February. The run was relaxing Punk to a point he had not felt since coming to Tampa. They were running in silence but just the feeling of being together doing something as mundane as running was enough. The natural endorphins from his run carried over to lunch where the conversation between him and John flowed freely, bearing a striking resemblance to the ease they felt with each other before everything went to hell. They finally returned to John's house.

"I definitely need a shower," John said, making his way to the staircase.

"You do that," and Punk turned and took off at a run, flying through the kitchen, throwing open the door to the backyard and jumping fully clothed into the pool. When Punk resurfaced John was standing by the side of the pool, smiling broadly.

"Are you crazy?"

"That's what they say."

John started laughing. Punk jumped up, grabbing John behind the knees and pulling him into the water with him.

"Okay, I should have seen that coming a mile away."

"Obviously, who do you think you're dealing with here," Punk said, returning John's smile. They began horsing around, splashing and trying to dunk each other. Punk came up from being submerged by John. John wrapped his arm around Punk's neck and drew Punk closer, engaging him in a wet kiss. Punk didn't pull away and became an active participant in the kiss. John finally pulled away, a wide dimpled smile on his face.

"Had enough?" Punk asked as he made his way to the steps to exit the pool.

"Not nearly," and John pulled Punk back into the water and into his arms, kissing him enthusiastically. Neither man pushed for more beyond the kiss.

As the day wore on it was starting to get chilly and they eventually returned inside. That night when they went to upstairs to go to sleep Punk followed John into his bedroom without comment, sleeping wrapped around each other as they always had before.

Punk awoke the next morning to the sound of the shower running. Punk couldn't help himself. He pulled open drawer on the bedside table that had been designated as his. His comics and other possessions where as he had left them, the same with the drawers in the dresser. Punk had been fooling himself. He would forgive John anything.


	21. Chapter 21

**February 19, 2012**

_Elimination Chamber_

The first two nights of the Elimination Chamber media blitz Punk went to bed in his and Kofi's room but awoke in John's. On the third day Punk just followed John into his room when they arrived at the hotel and nothing was said on the matter. Kofi was the only person who had been with him every step of the way during the situation with John. Kofi had seen him at his lowest but didn't treat him any differently than he had before. The same probably could not be said for anyone else who would have found it as a show of weakness. John was equally accepting and mystified by Punk's choice of friend because Punk couldn't have gone out and found someone who was more his polar opposite than Kofi, John excluded.

While he and John had fallen back into some of their old habits, there were some that they had not. This was probably completely due to the fact that Punk had not outright said that he forgave John. They also had not had sex except for that one manic night while they were still broken up.

There was also Ziggler and Ryder causing issues. John refused to answer Ryder's calls but that didn't stop the calls from coming even though John had been seconds away from punching Ryder in the face at Raw. Ryder was not in attendance at the fan events so his presence was not in full effect. Ziggler, on the other hand, only seemed somewhat deterred by what had happened in his hotel room. Ziggler's flirtatious manner was gone but that didn't stop Ziggler from trying to speak to him. They were at an autograph signing and Ziggler had somehow managed to get the seat next to him. Punk knew that Ziggler must have figured that he was safe from Punk at the event because Punk wouldn't resume trying to choke him out in front of the fans. Ziggler seemed to be ignoring the death glares being sent his way by John who was seated across the room from the rest of them due to John's fans being highly likely to spaz out or break into tears at any moment.

"Punk can we talk…"

"No, not unless you have a death wish."

"How did you find out about Ryder and me?" Punk ignored Ziggler completely.

"I backed out of the plan. I didn't want to hurt or embarrass you. I just wanted to be with you. I didn't do anything to you that was worse than the things John did but I hear you two are back together."

"We are and unless you want John to vault over that table and finish what I started you should keep you mouth shut."

Ziggler immediately ceased questioning Punk, probably because John looked ready to do exactly what Punk had threatened.

Punk's media responsibilities and autograph signings finally came to an end. The only thing left was the actual match in the Elimination Chamber. Punk knew that his state of mind was nowhere near where it should be, his attention having been focused on the state of his and John's relationship instead of retaining his title. The closer he got to actually leaving for the arena the more he felt like he was about to crawl out of his skin. Usually when this feeling hit he would find himself under the needle not long after, adding to his already massive collection of body art but there was no time before the event to use that avenue to settle him down. Something had to give if he wanted to get into the right headspace before the match.

Punk walked out of the bathroom and John looked up at him and then did a double take.

"What the hell!"

"You don't like it?"

"Uh…"

"It's fine if you don't because I don't particularly like it either. It was an ill advised impulse."

"I'm just so used to seeing you with facial hair. This clean shaven look is definitely a change. You look 10 years younger. I'm going to feel like a dirty old man chasing a young piece of ass."

"At least you're not going all John Cena on me and trying to lie, which we both know you can't do for shit."

"You do realize that you're going to catch hell from the guys, right?"

And catch hell was exactly what happened. Most limited themselves to sidelong glances except for Kofi who couldn't seem to stop laughing.

"Did you fall asleep and someone stole your beard? Did you lose a bet?" Kofi reached out and ran his hand down Punk's cheek. "Oh, you're as smooth as a baby's bottom. That's what I'll call you, baby."

"So the Kofi can call you baby but I'm not entitled to call you by any pet names?"

"Do you want to know the difference between you and him?"

"What's that?"

"Would you like to have sex with me?"

"Yes," John said softly, no sign of the playful banter they had been exchanging.

Punk paused for a moment and then gave John a brief kiss.

"Good…" John began but Punk cut him off.

"Don't even say it."

"I wasn't going to. I was going to say good match. I know you well enough not to say good luck."

They finally reached the arena entrance where everyone in the match had already entered the arena except for Kofi. John grabbed Punk's hand and squeezed it, turning around and heading back to the monitor bay.

"It's probably a good thing that we're not sharing a room anymore."

"Why's that?" Punk asked Kofi.

"Because after I win the match and take your title I won't have to worry about you taking the belt while I was sleeping and hiding it somewhere I can't find it."

"That does sound like something I would do. If it was anyone else I'd probably jack it and then run over it with a car or light it on fire or something. Ready to show the fans what actual wrestling looks like?"

"You know it," and Kofi entered the arena.

Punk entered and as he kneeled down to run his hand over the ground the belt came undone and almost fell to the ground. Punk wasn't the superstitious sort but that probably wasn't the best sign. He entered the chamber and his attention was immediately caught by Jericho who was doing his best Truth impersonation and talking to himself. Although Punk couldn't make out what he was saying, he knew it probably wasn't anything very complimentary. Punk decided to mess with Jericho a little and stood in front of Jericho's locked pod and mocked him, lifting the title. Punk briefly gave Truth the same treatment and then walked over to Ziggler, climbing onto the ropes and screaming "Best in the World." He walked Kofi down and held up the title and Kofi just rolled his eyes at his antics. He moved on to Miz whose expression didn't even change when Punk started mocking his expression. Punk slammed his hand onto the plastic of the pod and Miz didn't even flinch. Miz had come to win and couldn't be intimidated. Punk realized that he was going to have to keep his eye on Miz. Punk kissed the belt and handed it over to the official, watching as the door to the chamber was locked.

He and Kofi locked up, neither one getting the advantage over the other. Punk sent Kofi into the ropes, instead of rebounding Kofi leaped over the top rope, landing on the grating outside the ring. Punk looked at him shocked. Kofi re-entered the ring and Punk held out his hand and Kofi shook it and then they were back to fighting. They exchanged a series of pinning attempts. Punk flipped to roll up Kofi but missed his spot and managed to power bomb himself. Kofi hit him with a high velocity elbow and Punk went down. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Ziggler doing pull ups in his pod. Punk had to wonder why he ever felt that moron was deserving of his attention. Punk recovered and Kofi tried to flip him over the rope onto the grating but Punk managed to land on his feet. Kofi fought back and Punk ended up slamming onto the grating, landing on his hip. He moved his hand to his hip and his hand came back with a little blood smeared on it. Punk realized that all this was taking place right in front of Jericho's pod. Punk sent Kofi careening into Jericho's pod. He pulled Kofi up and set him up for a suplex, blowing a kiss at Jericho who was getting more pissed by the second. That was the downside of being the last to enter, being mad as hell but having no way to lay into someone.

The crowd started counting and the lights went down, with Ziggler being freed from his pod. Punk immediately abandoned Kofi and ran at Ziggler. Unfortunately Ziggler took immediate control and punished Punk outside the ring. Ziggler rolled him back into the ring but instead of trying to pin him he went after Kofi. Kofi fought him off and Punk recovered, both him and Kofi taking turns beating Ziggler down. He and Kofi were both outside the ring, both prepping to do the same move. Punk nodded at Kofi and they both spring boarded off the top rope to hit a double flying clothesline on Ziggler but he moved out of the way and they crashed into each other.

The crowd started counting down again and when the lights came back up Truth had entered the match. Punk was lying under the ropes and he could see Kofi lying not far from him. He could hear the action in the ring and then heard someone crash into the grating and then Ziggler screaming. Everyone seemed to want to put Ziggler through the ringer. Punk recovered and took it to Truth, leaving him lying in the ring as he made his way to the turnbuckle in front of Jericho's pod. He stared him down as he climbed up, Jericho banging on the wall of his pod. Punk stood on the turnbuckle but couldn't help himself as he turned to wave at Jericho, only incensing him more. He hit the high elbow and pinned Truth. He stood only to be hit with Kofi's Trouble in Paradise. As he lay on the mat he heard Ziggler hit the grating again and screaming followed up with Kofi screaming as well.

The count started up again and since Jericho was entering last, it was Miz who was entering the ring. Miz didn't seem to have any preference for a particular opponent, choosing to take it to everyone in the match. Punk eventually recovered and managed to lock Miz in the Anaconda Vise. Punk kept increasing the pressure, waiting for Miz to tap. The crowd starting counting down again and Punk immediately locked eyes with Jericho as he was exiting his pod. Punk let go of Miz and knew immediately that he had fucked up because his hatred of Jericho had overridden his more intelligent sensibilities. They stared each other down and then went after each other, Punk with more vehemence than someone who had been in the match since the beginning. They both came close to connecting on their finishing maneuvers but both managed to counter out. Punk was in a bad way until Ziggler went after Jericho and was pinned by Jericho for his troubles.

Punk and Jericho locked back up outside the ring and Punk repeatedly slammed Jericho into the unbreakable plastic of the pods. Jericho stabbed his thumb into Punk's eye and Jericho tried to barricade himself in a pod. Punk forced the door open and entered the pod, kicking and punching Jericho. Punk pulled him by his arm, sending his head crashing into the door and then Jericho slammed the door shut with Punk caught between the door and the pod, collapsing in the pod.

"I'm the best in the world at everything I do," Punk could hear Jericho shouting at him and wished he was able to get up to smack Jericho in his big mouth.

Punk watched as Jericho submitted Kofi to the Walls of Jericho, but instead letting Kofi exit the Chamber he continued to beat Kofi. Jericho seemed to be purposely trying to set him off. When Jericho tossed Kofi out of the Chamber Punk came from behind Jericho and delivered a brutal kick to the head when he turned around. Punk watched in shock as Jericho tumbled out of the Chamber, took out a camera guy and then slammed his head against some equipment on the ground. Jericho was not moving or responding to the doctor that rushed to his side. Punk kneeled by the edge of the Chamber and waited for Jericho to come to but he didn't move an inch. Punk had meant to punish Jericho for what he did to Kofi, not practically kill the guy. The crowd started to chant his name and Punk felt a twinge of guilt. The official told him that Jericho would not be able to continue and closed the door, locking him in with Miz. Punk made quick work of Miz and pinned him after a GTS.

Even though he had won he was beat to all hell and could barely raise the belt over his head. He felt like he had been hit by a Mack truck but that didn't stop him from climbing the chain link wall and celebrating his hard fought win. Walking out of the chamber he knew one person who was in a worse shape than he was. Jericho was still lying on the ground where he had fallen, conscious but still unmoving. Punk shrugged, smiled and kept walking back up the ramp. He went through the curtain and made his way through the hallways, passing the monitor bay, John rising and following him to the locker room.

"Are you hurt," John questioned, getting down on his knees to look at the abrasion on his hip.

"Probably but I can't feel it right now. Are you done down there, it's just a superficial wound."

"Sorry, I was distracted by the sexiest ass in the WWE."

"Shouldn't you be in a dark corner somewhere embracing the hate and not ogling me?"

"Probably, but this seems like a better use of my time," John looking up at Punk with a smile. John kissed the wound on Punk's hip and got up from his knees.

Punk found his mind getting a little fuzzy after John's brief display of affection.

"I need to shower. Why don't you go back to the monitor bay and I'll meet you there when I'm done."

"How about I just watch you shower and we can go back together."

"If you win your moronic Ambulance match I'll let you perve on me after we get back to the hotel."

"Oooh, positive reinforcement. I'll just go now and embrace the lust."

"I'm sure that's exactly what Kane has been intending. I'll see you in a few."

John walked out the locker room and Punk took his shower. He was pulling his street clothes on when Kofi entered the locker room.

"At least it was you that won the match and not that asshole Jericho. He's probably still lying passed out somewhere. You're a dangerous person to have as a friend. Jericho didn't go after anyone when they were eliminated like he did me."

"Sorry about that."

"No need for apologies. Tonight isn't the last that Jericho has seen of me, I'll get back at him at some point. I just passed John going to the monitor bay. I'm surprised I didn't walk in on some kind of half-naked celebration."

Punk looked down and didn't respond.

"Did I say something wrong?"

"We haven't exactly…"

"Are you holding out to punish him or something, because that's kind of juvenile."

"I haven't told him I forgive him yet."

"But you came back from Tampa attached at the hip."

"I know, but…"

"You need to tell him. It's probably driving him crazy, but being that he's John Cena he's just not showing it."

"And how does one go about having that conversation?"

"No clue, that's all on you."

"Thanks Dr. Phil."

"You better get back to the monitor bay before John hunts you down."

Punk made his way to the monitor bay and took the seat that John was saving next to him. They settled in to watch the rest of the card. The camera men eventually made their way to the trainer's room where Jericho was being checked out. Even though Punk loathed the guy he was glad that it looked like he hadn't given him brain damage.

Of course Laurinaitis couldn't manage to stay backstage like most general managers. He came to the ring with Otunga and made threats against Teddy Long and was joined by del Rio, Mark Henry and Christian who all showed up to jump on the Teddy hate bandwagon.

"It's been so nice with del Rio gone," John said, shaking his head at the monitor.

They both watched as the competitors entered for the Smackdown Chamber match and were shocked with the volume of the crowd's cheers as Santino entered.

"I hate to injure your ego but I think they are cheering louder for Santino than they did for you."

"They seem to be. Maybe I need to add a hand puppet to my repertoire."

They watched, shocked as it came down to Santino and Daniel. Daniel's smile showed that he didn't really consider Santino a threat until he began to give Daniel a run for his money. Daniel got the win but his celebration was cut short when Sheamus' music cued up and he entered the Chamber with Daniel and hit him with the Celtic Cross, making his intentions clear that he had chosen Daniel to challenge at WrestleMania.

"That's one thing you don't have to worry about now."

"Yeah, but now I get to wait to see who Laurinaitis throws in my path. I doubt I'm going to enjoy it. Come on, I'll walk you to the arena entrance for your match," Punk said, rising and pulling John up after him, holding hands as they made their way through the winding hallways. Punk pulled him into a deserted dead end hallway behind a stack of crates. "There's something I have to tell you before you go out there."

"What's that?"

"It's probably the worst time to tell you this but I just wanted to say that I forgive you, for all of it, just don't fuck up again."

John stared into Punk's eyes and then pulled him in, flush against his body, and began kissing him enthusiastically. Punk leaned his head back, breaking the kiss, but didn't leave John's arms.

"Save it for the hotel room, you have a match to get to don't you? Just try to stay out of the ambulance."

"When I have such excellent motivation there's no way I'm going to lose."

"Then get to the gorilla position, I'll be waiting in the monitor bay for you," Punk said softly, leaned up to give John another kiss and then made his way back to the monitor bay and took a seat next to Kofi. He watched as John entered the arena, a bright smile on his face.

"Not that we have a lot to compare it to since there's only been one other Ambulance match, but I don't think you're supposed to be that happy to be there," Kofi said, shaking his head at John's completely inappropriate mood. Punk just smiled at Kofi and turned his attention to the monitor.

It didn't take long for John to sober up after Kane began the match with a series of vicious blows. The brawl took them all over the arena both men beating the hell out of each other. When the finally made their way back to ringside, John laid Kane out and grabbed a microphone, "Did that get me a spot in the fave five?" he directed at Booker T, then took apart the Spanish announce table and the ring steps.

He hit Kane in the face with the steel steps and just stood there as Kane crumpled to the floor. John's face broke out into a smile, "You guys ready to have some fun?" John said to the camera.

"Seriously, what is up with John tonight?" Kofi asked, mystified by John's swiftly changing moods.

"Positive motivation."

"Since I doubt you gave the guy a pep talk on the way to the arena entrance I'll just let that comment go by without further explanation."

Punk was a little worried when Kane was wheeling John up the ramp on a stretcher and then put him in the ambulance, but John fought his way out and ended up giving Kane an AA from the top of the ambulance and then loading him in to the ambulance, winning the match. Punk watched the hallway for John who finally appeared, grabbing Punk by the arm, leading him to the locker room where they grabbed their things and headed to John's rental in the parking lot.

"You do realize that this is the first time we've both left a pay per view happy since we've been together?" Punk said, looking over at John who was staring at him heatedly, their wins obviously being the last thing on his mind.

_AN: I know I've been away for a while but writer's block happens to us all. Hope the update was worth waiting for. It's been a while since I thanked my readers for their continued support, so thank you for your comments which keep this story going and hopefully writer's block doesn't hit again and the updates will keep coming._


	22. Chapter 22

John led Punk by the hand to his rental. Punk reached out to open the car door but it was still locked.

"Can you…" Punk, said turning to face John but was cut off when John pressed him against the car door, twining his fingers in Punk's hair, angling his head to kiss him as deeply as possible. Punk very willingly let John continue to devour his mouth. Punk's leg was sliding up John's side to wrap around his waist and bring their bodies into as much contact as possible when he registered exactly where they were and pulled back from John with a whimper.

"John, we're in the parking lot, anyone could see us."

"I don't care if we're in Times Square," John said heatedly, resuming their kiss, sliding his hands down Punk's sides and under his t-shirt. Punk turned his head to the side to break the kiss, but that only left his neck exposed to John's fevered kisses. Punk decided that he didn't care where they were, this felt way too good to stop. Punk wrapped his leg around John's waist and brought their bodies flush against one and other, slotting their hips together. John wasted no time and began to roll his hips against Punk's while sucking that spot behind Punk's ear that drove him crazy and was reserved for only John. Punk's hazy mind considered the logistics of having sex on the hood of the car when he heard Kofi's voice.

"Guys, seriously, this is a parking lot. Can't you wait until you get to the hotel and if that's impossible can't you at least get in the car?"

"He has a point," Punk said, placing his hands on John's chest and pushing him away, even though it was the last thing he wanted to do. John pulled out his keys and unlocked the car, reaching behind Punk and opening the passenger side door.

"Tell me you did not just open a door for me."

"I can't be chivalrous?"

Punk narrowed his eyes at John who just smiled brightly and leaned over to place a brief kiss on Punk's lips, pushing him into the car and closing the door behind him. John started the car and began driving to their hotel. Punk was watching John out of the corner of his eye. The hotel was just too far away. Punk leaned over the center console licking the shell of John's ear, biting the lobe gently while sliding his hand up John's inner thigh, massaging the hardness he found there.

"I'm going to wreck this car."

Punk began to return to his seat but John pulled him back by his shirt.

"I didn't say to stop, it was just an observation, I'm probably going to wreck this car."

Punk laughed quietly and leaned back over the console, kissing John's neck while popping open the button on John's jeans, lowering the zipper and sliding his hand under John's boxer briefs to wrap his hand around John's already leaking cock. Punk began to stroke John slowly. John reached down and closed his hand around Punk's.

"Too much?"

"Not enough. Harder, faster, anything..."

Punk gripped John harder, stroking him at a faster pace.

"Oh fuck yes," John moaned out, John's come covering Punk's hand. Thankfully they stopped at a red light, John's head lolling back against the head rest and turning to look at Punk. Punk was slowly licking John's come off his hand and John's cock ached just watching him. John pulled Punk toward him and kissed him deeply, chasing the taste of himself in Punk's mouth along with the sweet taste that was uniquely Punk. The kiss quickly ended when the car behind them started honking their horn because the light had turned green.

Somehow that made it to the hotel without incident and hurried through the lobby to the elevators. Punk was on John before the door even closed.

"Wait! Hold the door."

The elevator door reopened with Show standing on the other side of it, his mouth hanging open as he saw Punk pressing John against the wall of the elevator, kissing John wildly.

"Take the next one," and Punk hit the door close button and resumed kissing John breathless. They finally reached their floor, both men hurrying to get the door unlocked and into the privacy of their room.

John backed Punk up against the closed door, holding Punk's head between his hands, keeping Punk's head stationary so he could explore Punk's mouth at will, leaving no part of Punk's mouth untouched. John seemed content to kiss Punk breathless so Punk had to take action, dipping his hands under John's shirt and pulling it up, John only breaking the kiss let Punk remove his shirt, immediately returning the favor and stripping Punk of his shirt. Both men looked at each other heatedly and both immediately went for the others fly. Shorts and shoes were kicked off, clothes flying all over the room. Punk jumped up, wrapping his legs around John's waist, grinding his hips. John made his way to the bed, dropping Punk onto the mattress, pinning Punk down with his body.

"John, please, fuck me…"

"Yes Phil, yes, whatever you want."

That simple and familiar statement enflamed Punk, rolling John over and sitting astride him. Punk didn't waste any time, sliding down John's cock until John was deep inside him. Punk immediately started moving, John watching Punk's face as the pleasure overtook him. Many of John's fantasies were of Punk and him in this exact position. Now that he had the reality back again after being denied for so long, John couldn't hold back the moans, repeatedly Punk's name over and over like a mantra. When Punk had him like this there wasn't anything John wouldn't give him, as long as Punk kept fucking him until his mind was hazy with pleasure. Punk began to move faster and John was sure that his eyes were rolling back in his head, it was so good but he needed to be closer. John sat up pressing their bodies together, grabbing hold of Punk's ass and setting a faster rhythm, his own hips thrusting up to meet Punk on the down stroke, Punk's cock pressed between their stomachs. John could feel his stomach clenching, knowing his release was imminent. He thrust into Punk roughly, coming deep inside him. He could still feel Punk hard against his stomach. He leaned over; Punk's back hitting the mattress. John slid down Punk's body, sliding his mouth over Punk's cock. It wasn't long before Punk reached his orgasm, coming down John's throat while screaming his name. John collapsed on top of Punk, both men breathing harshly.

Punk wrapped his legs and arms around John, trying to bring him as close as possible. John nestled his head in Punk's neck, placing lazy kisses to the skin that was closest.

"Not to sound like a nympho but I really missed that, I missed you inside me," Punk whispered quietly.

"Me too, but I missed something else more."

"I can't imagine what could top that."

John raised himself up on his elbows so that he could look into Punk's eyes, "I love you."

"You're right, that is better. I love you too," Punk said, meeting John's lips is a soft kiss.

**February 20, 2012**

_Monday Night Raw_

John and Punk entered the arena in Minneapolis looking out for one person, Eve. Although Punk heartily approved of the humiliation Eve had served up to Ryder he was still a little ticked off and suspicious about why he had been left in the dark. John was confused but more forgiving, getting Punk to agree to let him search out Eve on his own. Punk had received notice that he would not be competing tonight. He really wasn't all that surprised due to the fact that Sheamus had made his WrestleMania intentions clear at the Elimination Chamber so he now had an opening on his dance card. Kofi had clued him in that there was to be a 10 man Battle Royal made up of all the competitors of both Chamber matches to decide who his opponent would be at WrestleMania. Kofi had also shared with him that he had heard Jericho was in attendance, cleared to wrestle, and extremely pissed off. Punk knew that with Jericho in his current state of mind he would be even more vicious than he usually was which did not bode well for everyone else in the match.

Punk took a seat next to Kofi in the monitor bay and the cameras found Eve with the Bella twins. While some of his co-workers listened in shock as Eve laid out her successful plan to seduce and use Ryder to further her own career, Punk watched passively as he knew Eve to be a calculating bitch already, which wasn't exactly a negative personality trait in his mind. Punk immediately amended his opinion on Eve when she bragged that John was next on her list. Was Eve so delusional to think that one kiss from her would turn John straight or bi or any other sexual orientation that would result in having John in her clutches? He could see Kofi watching him from the corner of his eye, probably waiting for him to go on some homicidal tangent against Eve's appropriation of his boyfriend to further her career. Even the Bellas looked appalled which was saying a lot.

There was a simultaneous shocked intake of breath from his co-workers when the camera panned to the side to show John, who had obviously heard Eve's entire conversation. John just smiled and walked away, leaving Eve a stuttering mess. Now everyone in the monitor bay was watching him warily, as if he was going to go postal at any second. Why even bother? Eve had overplayed her hand and now the entire WWE Universe knew she was a conniving bitch. She was like a James Bond villain, giving away her plot when anyone with a brain knew that the WWE cameras could find any one of them at any time. Punk just started laughing which apparently gave the entire monitor bay permission to laugh at her expense as well. Punk kept his eyes on the hallway, waiting for John to return.

The opening signature aired with John's music playing directly after. For once the entire crowd seemed glad to see John. They all definitely wanted to hear John's response to Eve's scheming and Punk wanted to hear it as well. John seemed a little too happy for someone who just found out they were the subject of a nefarious plot. John asked for a mic and Punk had no idea whatsoever about what was getting ready to come out of his mouth. Before he could speak a visibly upset Eve made her way to the ring, begging John to listen to her. Punk would probably be upset too if all his cunning plans had been blown by his own stupidity.

John cut off her pleading and began to tell his version of events which included announcing to the crowd that she had been sipping the skank juice. Punk really had no idea where John came up with these things, but he had to admit it was pretty funny.

"I know John isn't going to be embracing the hate after that AA off the ambulance, but when did he decide to embrace the sarcasm?"

"I think it's wonderful, I couldn't be prouder," Punk responded to Kofi, turning his attention back to John just in time to hear John call her a hoeski and the chant spread through the audience like wildfire, even some of the roster was getting in on the action. Eve continued to fall apart under John's mockery. When John brought the Rock into the conversation Punk knew where John's borderline jackass behavior was coming from. This was how John planned to treat the Rock in the buildup to WrestleMania, as a joke. Punk watched as John completely abandoned the show's rating and called both Eve and the Rock scandalous bitches. Punk had to admit that this side of John was turning him on quite a bit, especially when John smiled into the camera, dimples in full force and said, "I'm back."

John seemed to soften a little when Eve collapsed to the mat but then she hurled herself at John who had to call security to pry her off. John made his way to the ropes and delivered one last insult, "For your information I'm disease free and I'd like to keep it that way." When the nicest guy in the WWE accused you of having VD then you had really had a problem.

"I'll be back," Punk said to Kofi while rising from his seat and making his way through the hallways to the arena entrance. He could see John coming down the hall towards him. Punk grabbed him by the wrist and pulled him down the hallway after him until they reached an area with less traffic. Punk tried all the doors they came to until he found one that was unlocked, an abandoned storage closet, how predictable and perfect. John followed Punk into the room.

"So did you like…" but John was cut off when Punk pushed him against the door and began kissing him feverishly, one hand holding his head in place while the other was popping the button on his shorts and sliding underneath the waistband of his boxers, taking his cock in hand. Punk began jerking him off quickly. John was about to ask Punk to slow down because they had all the time in the world but Punk dropped to his knees, pulling down John's shorts and boxers. Punk immediately sucked John all the way down until his cock was surrounded by the constricting wet heat of Punk's throat. John's head banged against the wood of the door at the delicious sensation of being deep throated by Punk and the primal, possessive feeling at seeing Punk on his knees before him. Punk seemed to be attempting to set a land speed record for the quickest blow job in history due to his very talented mouth. John looked down at Punk, mesmerized by watching as his cock slid in and out of Punk's mouth, his lips red and wet and stretched around him. John grabbed a handful of Punk's hair and pulled roughly, his cock sliding out of Punk's mouth. Punk looked up at John in complete confusion.

"What…"

"We have nothing but time and you look so pretty on your knees," John said heatedly, rubbing his thumb across Punk's swollen lips. Punk caught his thumb between his teeth and bit down lightly. Punk pulled back and John moaned with anticipation when he saw Punk suck two fingers into his mouth, coating them with saliva. John had asked for slow but what he was going to get was slow torture. Punk locked eyes with John as his hand slid between his legs, fingers circling his opening before sliding into him. John never broke eye contact with Punk no matter how amazing that felt.

Punk smiled seductively up at him, "Now that was pretty," and then Punk slid his mouth around John, sucking only the head into his mouth while gently finger fucking him.

"Holy fuck, don't stop, don't ever stop," John moaned out his pleasure.

Punk's mouth slid farther down his erection, applying gentle suction and running his tongue up and down the vein on the underside of his cock. John moaned loudly when Punk found the bundle of nerves and began massaging it continuously. John had asked Punk to slow things down but John now knew that it was him that wasn't going to last. John looked down to see Punk's other hand down his shorts getting himself off. Punk was trying to kill him. John guided Punk's head until his entire cock was deep inside Punk's throat. Punk laughed at John's eagerness, the vibrations triggering his release.

"Phil, fucking hell…"

"I thought you wanted slow," Punk said, smiling up at John smugly.

"Maybe if you were a little less talented or not so sexy that you make my cock ache every time I look at you."

Punk didn't respond but lowered his head to John's hip, caressing the ink that bore his name with his lips, and then biting down harshly.

"Just a little souvenir of the night when you out mocked me."

"Are you telling me I just got the blowjob of a lifetime because you were turned on by me verbally tearing someone down?"

"I have the strangest kinks, I can't help it."

"Well, I love all your kinks; they always seem to work out in my favor."

"As they should considering some of them didn't appear into you came waltzing into my hotel room and kissing me senseless."

"That was definitely the best idea I've ever had in my life."

Punk stood up and they both tried to straighten themselves out before heading back to the monitor bay.

"I need to go get cleaned up, I'll be right back," as Punk continued on to the locker room, John taking a seat in the back. Punk returned after a few minutes and took a seat next to John, sliding his chair as close to John's as it would go, keeping skin to skin contact along their arms. They watched the show in satiated silence until Jericho appeared on the monitor bashing Punk for cheap shotting him in the Chamber and promising to win the match tonight.

"You don't look very worried."

"I'm not. It's the end of the world as we know it? I believe that was the same promise he gave before the Royal Rumble and the Elimination Chamber. He's not exactly living up to his own hype, though I kind of hope that he does win even though I doubt its going to bring his whining to an end."

When the Undertaker came out a hush fell over the roster. If there was anybody that was respected by everyone, no matter their affiliations, it was the Undertaker. He reissued his challenge to Triple H who made his way to the ring, continuing to deny the Undertaker the rematch he wanted. The Undertaker went so far as to call Triple H a coward which was a surefire way of pissing off the Game. Even with the audience chanting, "you're a coward," Triple H still backed down and left the Undertaker in the ring. The Undertaker had one more parting shot, accusing Triple H of not wanting the match because Shawn had always been better than him but had not been able to defeat him. That appeared to be the last straw for Triple H who stripped off his coat and tie, returned to the ring and stared the Undertaker down. The match was on, in Hell in a Cell no less. As the Undertaker left the ring Punk's mouth dropped open at the music that was playing through the arena.

"What the hell! They get Metallica? Metallica doesn't license their music to anyone. Well I guess the guys can forget about getting better paying contracts, god knows how much licensing that song costs."

A road agent approached them, letting John know that he was needed to go out and do the promo about the Rock that he was supposed to start the show with but had chosen to humiliate Eve instead. Punk watched as John took shot after shot at the Rock, all with a smile on his face. Punk was starting to get worried about what the Rock was going to say when he showed up next week. It was not going to be pretty.

Punk looked up when a road agent stood in front of him holding out a suit coat. That could only mean one thing…commentary. Punk happily took the coat from the road agent who hadn't even said a word and made his way to the arena entrance to be faced with the participants of the next match, among them his future WrestleMania opponent. While watching the match Punk restrained himself from saying that the match was quickly degenerating into a clusterfuck. He counted at least two possible major injuries. He really wasn't very surprised when Jericho pulled out a win and became the #1 contender. Punk climbed onto the announce table, staring Jericho down. He saw Jericho's eyes flick to the WrestleMania sign hanging from the rafters of the arena. The stare down continued as Punk entered the ring and held out his hand to Jericho. The guy might have a mouth bigger than his own but Jericho's career to this point deserved his respect. Jericho just mouthed off about being the best and left the ring.

John met him in the hallway with their things.

"So, Jericho?"

"Don't look like I'm about to throw a fit. The person I wanted to win the match won."

"You actually want to take on Jericho?"

"To be the best you've got to beat the best, and only one person can be the best in the world."

_AN: I know, I'm guilty of yet another extended absence. I got the feeling that the last chapter didn't exactly live up to expectations so I hope you like this one more._


	23. Chapter 23

The exit was a bottleneck of wrestlers. Some members of the roster were heading home for a much deserved break after the Elimination Chamber and Raw, some for media commitments and the rest to Rockford which was a stone's throw from Chicago for Smackdown. Punk didn't mind being booked on Smackdown because he was scheduled to meet Daniel in the ring. Sure the guy was on some sort of ego trip but Punk had been there before and then some. At least, Daniel hadn't tried to form a cult yet and make AJ shave her head. Kofi was also booked for Smackdown and the house shows so he would have his old roommate back for a few nights. John had drawn a shorter straw because Jericho had been scheduled for the same personal appearances as John. Punk and John both ducked down a hallway and behind some crates to say goodbye which involved very little talking.

Punk pulled back from the heady kisses John was bestowing on him and stared him in the eye sternly.

"Listen, I know it's been a while since we've had this conversation but I think it bears repeating. Do not respond to Jericho's baiting. No doubt he's going to try to provoke you just to get at me. I'm going to extend you the same courtesy when Raw degenerates into the Rock show even though I can't stand the guy and know from personal experience that you do not possess lady parts."

"There goes my plan to smack the taste out of Jericho's mouth every time he mentions your name."

"Try to restrain your caveman impulses. I'll see you on the 24th."

"Actually you won't. I'm going film a guest spot on this new show on SyFy. I won't see you again until Raw on the 27th."

"That is entirely unacceptable."

"I'm not the one that has a roommate which will make it completely impossible for me to sex you up over the phone."

"True, Kofi puts up with a lot where I'm concerned but I think kicking him out of the room so I can talk dirty to you would be one step too far. We'll have to restrict ourselves to a G rating."

"One more kiss," and Punk proceeded to kiss the hell out of John. Even after Punk broke off the kiss John leaned forward to try to continue the kiss. Punk pushed John back with his hand on John's chest.

"The crowd is thinning out. I don't think two buses full of our co-workers want to wait on us to conclude this make out session. Love you, make sure to miss the hell out of me," and Punk walked away giving John one last wicked smile and made his way to his bus and John reluctantly made his way to his.

**February 21, 2012**

_Smackdown_

Unlike Raw, the locker rooms at Smackdown were situated differently from Raw. At Raw the road agents went out of their way to keep the more combustible elements separated. Either the Smackdown road agents didn't show the same courtesy or they just liked to create chaos. That was how the entire Raw contingent ended up in the same locker room. He was dressing next to the unlikely tag team of Kofi and Truth but also sharing a locker room with the likes of Miz and Ziggler. He could feel Ziggler's eyes on him as he changed but before he could tell Ziggler to avert his fucking gaze before he blinded him Truth stepped forward.

"Little Jimmy says stop staring like a peeping tom, put your quarters away, this ain't a peep show!"

Ziggler stared at Truth like he was crazy, which he was in fact, but Punk just patted him on the back in thanks. Truth was off the charts mental but Punk liked him anyway.

Kofi, Punk and Truth took seats together in the monitor bay. Show joined them eventually but was unable to look Punk in the eye. While everyone seemed pretty accepting of his and John's relationship Punk figured that maybe some of them weren't quite ready for the live floor show just yet.

The show opened with Daniel with AJ in tow. A few months ago he would have said that AJ was the perfect girl for Daniel but now he thought that the girl needed an intervention. Daniel seemed to be under the impression that he was going to main event WrestleMania. Even Punk had accepted that the fact he would not be main eventing due to John taking on the Rock and Triple H and the Undertaker in Hell in a Cell. Daniel began tearing down Santino which proved that Daniel had taken leave of his senses because even Punk accepted that the crowd lit up for Santino more than any other wrestler, including himself. Daniel complained that his moment had been destroyed by Sheamus showing up and revealing his intentions. Sheamus had made it very clear that he was going to choose his opponent after the Elimination Chamber and Daniel had to know that there was a 50/50 chance it was going to be him. Just as Daniel started in on him Miz's music cued up. That was probably the best thing for Daniel because if it had gone on he probably would have gotten pissed as hell even though he considered Daniel a friend still, no matter how misguided he currently was. His opinion of Daniel continued to fall as he actually tolerated Miz's ass kissing. At this point Miz couldn't get a janitorial job at WrestleMania much less a match. Thankfully Sheamus showed up to bring that grating conversation to a halt.

It was fun to watch Sheamus continue Miz's downward spiral of losses. He was less enthused when Laurinaits showed up on screen with Otunga. He couldn't get away from the man, even when he was on Smackdown.

Unfortunately Truth and Kofi did not beat Ziggler and Swagger due to a poke to the eye from Ziggler to Kofi while the official was dealing with a screeching Vickie who had managed to trip over her own heels. It had started out so well too with Kofi completely dominating Ziggler. Kofi really was an excellent friend.

The rest of the matches didn't really hold his interest as he had enough on his plate without the addition of the going-on's over on Smackdown. Kofi had put one over on him when he asked to borrow his phone because his was broken but what Kofi had done was surreptitiously install Words with Friends. Truth spanked them both which was surprising and not surprising in the slightest.

It was finally time for his match with Daniel which promised to be a hell of a match because they have always brought out the best in each other. He was pulled aside for an interview before making his way into the arena. He got a few digs in on Laurinaitis, Jericho and Daniel. All in all, a pretty standard interview. Daniel seemed pretty annoyed at the CM Punk chants, but really, whose hometown did he think they were in? The match was fast paced and highly technical. The only drawback was that Daniel knew at least 30 ways to detach his arm from his body and he was using them all. It was a good thing his legs were still working and he managed to take control of the match with a series of strikes. Apparently Daniel sensed the incoming danger and chose to slide under the ropes, call for his belt and start walking up the ramp. Now Punk was sure that Daniel had taken leave of his senses. Daniel used to be the most ethical person he knew and now he was cowering out?

Daniel's plan was foiled when Sheamus showed up and shoved Daniel back into the ring and straight into a vicious kick to Daniel's temple. Punk got the pin but only a few seconds later Clown Shoes made an appearance, restarting the match due to Sheamus' actions. His arm was still messed up and Daniel resumed torturing it. Daniel rolled him up and when Punk tried to reverse the pin he found that he couldn't due to an unusual amount of pressure that could only mean that Daniel had used the rope they were next to for leverage. His anger was quickly calmed when Teddy Long made his way to the ring, again restarting the match due to Daniel's cheating. They traded off offensive maneuvers until he caught Daniel in a small package and heard the official give the three count. When his arm wasn't immediately raised he was confused and then realized Daniel was under the impression that he had won. They had managed to pin each other simultaneously. Of course Clown Shoes insisted that Daniel had won while Long was advocating for his win. Both GM's entered the ring and raised the hand of their chosen victor. Punk just watched as the GM's started going at it, complete with aggressive finger pointing and stripping off their suit coats as if they were going to go at it. Even though the stand off ended before and punches were thrown it was still entertaining as hell seeing someone else start something with Laurinaitis that wasn't him.

Punk made his way backstage, collecting his things and Kofi who he was letting crash at his apartment for the night before Kofi left to go visit friends before the first of a trio of house shows on the 24th. He had never let anyone but Colt and John stay at his place, valuing his privacy. Kofi seemed cognizant of the fact that this was not an invitation just extended to anyone, and when Kofi called him Phil as he headed out the next morning Punk didn't even blink an eye.

**February 23, 2010**

Punk stared at the door in front of him with trepidation. He knew he was walking into the Spanish Inquisition but knocked anyway. At least he had brought flowers.

"Phillip, what a surprise, you usually steal away in the night when you're in town, not even bothering to see your dear mother."

"There's been a lot going on and most of it horribly bad."

"Don't tell me that you and the nicest man on the planet broke up? I can tell from your face that's exactly what happened. What the hell did you do?"

"Me! Why is it always me?"

"I did raise you, you know."

"Well, John's niceness finally got him in trouble," and Punk explained the saga that was his life for the past few months.

"First off, that spiky haired guy didn't ever strike me as intelligent enough to pull something like that off and I can't really blame you for being taken in by blonde in a bottle, he does have a certain something, and by a certain something I'm referring to his abs."

"Well he has a thing for cougars; I can pass your number along to him if you want."

"Judging from all the hijinks you get up to I can say with confidence that I have a maturity which most of your co-workers seem to lack. Your life is like a bad soap opera. I really am glad that you and John managed to get past all the drama and work things out between each other. He's a keeper."

"This I know."

"So what's the next step?"

"We moved in together."

"You live in hotel rooms."

"We keep belongings at each other's places."

"Did he have to drag you and your meager belongings kicking and screaming to Tampa?"

"I'll have you know that I asked him to move in first."

"Really? I can't deny that I'm surprised by that. You've always been commitment phobic."

"It's different this time."

"Why is that?"

"He's different. I'm different since I've been with him. He makes me happier than I've ever been before in my life. I love him."

"Has it ever occurred to you that he might want more?"

"What more is there?"

"Marriage, kids, someone to grow old with."

"That's not even legal."

"It is in West Newbury, Massachusetts."

"I don't think I'm husband material."

"You are, don't sell yourself and your feelings short. One day soon that boy is going to show up with a ring, probably on one with knee after asking for my blessing. You need to get your head straight before that happens. You say the wrong thing in that moment and it might never come again."

* * *

><p>John had never been less happy to see his fans. All he wanted was to be with Punk. They had finally gotten past the mess of the last few months. Punk had forgiven him even though he thought that he wasn't worthy of that forgiveness. Punk had given it to him freely and John wasn't stupid enough to argue the point. He had missed Punk so much that it made everything else around him meaningless. His happiness was directly tied to Punk and without him he felt untethered to everything around him. Although he missed the sex it was the small things that he really missed; sleeping tangled up in each other, being at Punk's side in the monitor bay listening to every crazed comment that came into his head, watching him take a beating in the ring but having no way to know if he was okay afterwards. He found himself staring into space and trying to concoct some way for them to run off together, if only for a few days so he could drown in all things Punk. He was jerked out of his fantasy when he heard someone take a seat at the table next to his. He turned and rolled his eyes, he had seen this coming from a mile away.<p>

"There are 5 other empty tables in this room, please, god, find your way to one of them now."

"I just wanted to know if banging you is what it takes for everyone to drink the Kool-Aid and recognize your boy toy as the best in the world," Jericho said nastily.

"No, beating me is what makes Punk the best in the world, something you've never managed to do."

"I have beaten you."

"Yeah, when was that?"

"2002."

"Oh, when I was fresh out of developmental and green as hell, I'd definitely put that one on your resume. I clearly remember relieving you of the World Heavyweight Championship at Survivor Series in 2008 though."

"I was the first undisputed Champion."

"Yeah, with McMahon's help. How long did that title reign last? Oh yeah just long enough for Triple H to come back from injury and beat your ass. How many World Championships have you won? 6 right? Punk has you beat there too. Any more accolades you want to throw out there? No? How about your accomplishments outside the WWE, like when you won Dancing with the Stars, no, wait, you came in 6th. Tell me, how many Grammy's has Fozzy won and albums gone gold? None? Are we done here? Good. Now fuck off."

"I don't remember you being this much of a loud mouthed jerk."

"What can I say? I learned from the best in the world."

**February 24, 2012**

Punk deplaned in Los Angeles and made his way to the pick up area to catch the bus with the rest of the guys.

"Damn, that's the hottest ass I've seen in a long time."

Punk whipped around and found himself wrapped up in a tiny Latina and kissed swiftly on the mouth.

"Melina!"

"What? You think you can come to Los Angeles and not see your best girl?"

"I've missed the fuck out of you," Punk replied, returning Melina's hug with one just as fierce.

"Kingston, what the hell are you gawking at?"

"But…John?"

"Cena knows that I have visitation rights with the fine ass body of his boyfriend. No need to wait on Phil, I'm taking him home with me where I plan to have my wicked way with him. I'll get him to the arena on time. Me and some of my girls have ringside seats since I know I can't sneak backstage with Punk cause they'd toss me out on my ass the jerks."

"I'll tell them that you're not coming, you have fun with…that."

"I plan to."

"Let's get going, from what I've heard you and I are long overdue for a little girl talk."

After the most frightening car ride Punk had ever experienced they finally made it to her and John's apartment who was currently out of town on a booking. They ended up with Punk lying on the sofa with his head in Melina's lap who was running her fingers through Punk's ungelled hair.

"…so that was Ryder and Ziggler's master plan. The scary thing was that it was working until Eve volunteered her talent for espionage."

"You do realize that you came awfully close to fucking up your relationship with John permanently?"

"I know how stupid I behaved. I always thought John was the one prone to jealousy and but I proved I can be just as jealous and that combined with my vindictiveness…"

"You both behaved badly. I'm surprised you managed to get back together so quickly, you do know how to hold a grudge."

"Once all the bullshit was out the way all I wanted was to be with John. Forgiving him was an easy decision when it came down to it."

"I'm surprised you nymphos managed to keep your hands off each other for that long."

"Well…"

"Ah, hate sex can be exhilarating, but the makeup sex…"

"Phenomenal and that's all the details you get."

"Just a little taste, for me?"

"We did end up upside down on the bed."

"And how did you get there?"

"You're not getting anything else so don't even try."

"There's something else on your mind, isn't there?"

"It's just something my Mom said."

"And that was…"

"She thinks John wants to marry me."

"Are you telling me that eventuality never occurred to you? Have you taken that many shots to the head? I've already got my tux fitted for when I stand up next to you as your Best Man."

"I never really saw myself as the marrying kind. I'm crazy, occasionally cruel and withdrawn and extremely egomaniacal. Who'd want to tie themselves to that for life? It's just a piece of paper."

"You say that now but when John shows up with a ring you're going to find that a simple piece of paper means more than you ever thought it would."

"Our relationship has always been inundated with drama. There were stretches when we didn't even speak to each other, the most recent clusterfuck for example."

"Well, with that ring on your finger you'll be bound by law to come home eventually. I'm sure John wishes he could stamp his name on your ass just so everyone knows you're his, a ring will do just as well."

"Actually…"

"Actually what?"

Punk pulled down the side of his shorts to show Melina that John had indeed stamped his name on him.

"Is this part of a matching set?"

"You know it."

"And you're worried about a ring and a piece of paper? Boys can be so silly. Come on, it's about time I drop you at the arena. You can stay in the guest room and I'll cook you dinner after the show."

"You can cook!"

"I can be surprisingly domestic."

"You have officially been promoted to best friend in the world."

"Am I going to get a t-shirt?"

* * *

><p>As Punk approached the ring he watched as Ziggler almost huddled in the corner and watched as his eyes flitted about the arena looking for the nearest exit. Ziggler obviously knew he was in for the beating of his life. He stepped into the ring and immediately spotted Melina and her friends, mainly due to the banner that they were holding over their heads with a picture of him and the words "I'd hit that!" Punk cracked up laughing as security approached them to confiscate the sign. It turned into a tug of war between Melina and the security guard, Melina finally giving up the sign. He couldn't hear the conversation but he bet that Melina had been threatened with expulsion from the arena.<p>

He faced Ziggler to start the match and immediately rolled his eyes when he heard the voice of the shrillest harpy in the WWE.

"Excuse me!"

Punk turned around to find not only Vickie but Swagger making their way to the ring. Ziggler was obviously covering all his bases. He was ready to start the match when Clown Shoes made an appearance with Otunga at his side, announcing that he had chosen a special enforcer for the match. He knew what was coming even before "Break Down the Walls" began to play through the arena. He was in a lot of trouble.

Punk wasted no time getting the jump on Ziggler, kicking every unprotected area on his body where he could land a hit. Punk was enjoying beating the hell out of Ziggler but of course that couldn't last forever. Vickie started jumping up on the apron, distracting the official while Ziggler and Swagger double teamed him. Jericho just watched blithely from the floor as he was getting his ass kicked. The official finally disposed of Vickie and Punk was able to mount an offense. He had Ziggler locked in the Anaconda Vise and he wasn't planning on letting up until Ziggler started turning blue. He felt a kick to the back of his head, forcing him to release the hold. Punk was still on the mat when he heard the bell ring. What the hell? He saw Jericho standing on the apron, speaking to the official and the ring announcer.

"By order of the special enforcer, Dolph Ziggler has been disqualified due to outside interference. Your winner, CM Punk!"

Punk watched as Vickie berated a sneering Chris Jericho who barely even acknowledged her existence. The cheating trio made their way to the arena entrance, Ziggler outstripping them by a few feet, eager to get the hell out of there. Jericho remained on the apron, turning his mocking smile on Punk.

"Jericho, do I even want to know what that is all about?"

"An opponent worthy of me doesn't lose to Dolph Ziggler because he brought his posse with him."

"And why didn't you call a stop to the match after the first time they interfered?"

"I didn't want you to lose the title but I'm not against watching you get your ass kicked first."

"You're a sick fuck Jericho."

"I'm the best in the world at everything I do."

"When it comes to being a complete jackass, yes you are."

**February 26, 2012**

Clown Shoes had obviously learned his lesson from the match with Ziggler with Jericho as the special enforcer. Although Laurinaitis was probably praying every night for his defeat at WrestleMania he didn't assign Jericho again as the special enforcer for his matches because Laurinaitis obviously realized that Jericho's behavior could not be controlled. Instead Jericho found himself in a match against Kofi while Punk was put in a Triple Threat match against Ziggler and Kane.

In the absence of Ryder Punk couldn't have picked two people whose asses he wanted to kick more. Ziggler for the obvious reasons and Kane for all the hell that he had put John through. Ziggler again brought his posse but after a few sadistic glares from Kane they quickly made their way backstage. The bell rang and Kane singled out Ziggler as the weak link, choke slamming him in the opening minutes of the match and then tossing him to the outside. Kane turned his attention to him. Punk definitely had him beat in the speed department but when Kane caught him with a hit he could feel his bones vibrate from the impact. Kane hit him with the same choke slam that had befallen Ziggler and found himself dumped outside the ring right next to him. Punk looked up to see Ziggler lying motionless on the ground staring right at him. The son of a bitch was playing possum.

"You're a spineless loser, do you know that?" delivering a vicious kick to Ziggler's side. He turned to reenter the ring just in time to see Jericho jump into the ring and hit the Code Breaker on Kane. The bell rang but since the official couldn't determine who Jericho had been interfering on behalf of the match was declared a no contest. The fans rained down a chorus of boos. Jericho just shrugged and nonchalantly strolled out of the arena.

By the time Punk made his way backstage Jericho was gone. He showered and changed and boarded the bus with the rest of the members of the roster who were catching a flight to Oregon for Raw. Punk had just passed through security when his cell went off. It was John.

"Hey, how was the media tour? Spazzing kiddies and hyperventilating women?"

"Your respect for my fans astounds me."

"Hey, I've got my own harem of perverse yet attractive women in Los Angeles. They had a banner with my picture and "I'd Hit That!" on it. Don't worry, I only went home with one of them."

"What!"

"She cooked for me and everything. Can you cook?"

"Why are you torturing me?"

"Don't worry sweetheart, it was only my favorite girl and her friends."

"Please say it was Melina."

"It was indeed Melina, troublemaker that she is. She almost got kicked out the arena when she got into it with security when they confiscated her sign. I also haven't managed to win a match in 3 house shows."

"What the hell did you do?"

"Don't blame it on me; it was my new best friend acting on my behalf. Code Breakers all around. I don't think Laurinaitis is getting what he paid for as far as Jericho is concerned."

"You should be thankful you're on Raw and not Smackdown. Laurinaitis will attempt to keep you separated and save the action for WrestleMania but Long would probably have you tagging together."

"I shudder at the thought. Hey, our flight is boarding, I have to go."

"I'm already in Oregon; I'll see you when you get in tonight. I missed you."

"I missed you too. You know what would make me feel better, if you were naked when I got there."

"That I can do. Love you."

"Love you too, see you soon."

"I hope my room isn't next door to yours," Kofi said with a wry smile.

"Did you hear all of that?"

"I was standing right next to you."

"Did I sound odd?"

"Odd, no. Why?"

"Thank god."

"Something couldn't possibly have gone wrong already. You were only separated for a week!"

"It's nothing bad, just…"

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"Maybe later when we're not within earshot of half the roster."

Punk settled in to his seat and breathed deeply. He had managed to talk to John without revealing the unrest that had taken up residence in his head. Now he would have to see John face to face and hopefully not reveal his confused mental state. Maybe his Mom and Melina were wrong, although neither was of a particularly romantic bent.

John wanted to marry him.

_AN: Thank you to my loyal reviewers that reestablished my confidence in the way this story is progressing. Review and ye shall be rewarded. This chapter is one I've wanted to write ever since John's wish in Japan. Review and let me know what you think. If you want another quick update…you know what to do!_


	24. Chapter 24

Punk finally made his way to the hotel room that he and John shared. When he opened the door John was not waiting naked as requested. He was fully clothed, lying on his side on top of the covers. The room was only lit by the lamp on the bedside table. Punk quietly dropped his things, kicked off his shoes and sat on the bed next to John. It was obvious John was still awake because his breathing was uneven.

"I know you're not sleeping."

"Who said I was pretending," John mumbled, still keeping his back to Punk. Punk placed his hand on John's shoulder and tried to roll him over on his back but John resisted.

"What's wrong? Usually I'm the withdrawn and reticent one."

Punk molded his body to John's; smoothing his hands over John's shorn hair and placed a light kiss on the back of his neck. John took a few deep breaths and turned around in Punk's arms to face him. Punk could tell John had been crying, his eyes red rimmed and swollen. Punk was usually the one that had to be talked down from an emotional crisis, not the other way around. Punk knew he had to tread carefully.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"There's something I haven't told you. It happened around the same time we started dating and honestly I hoped if I just didn't say anything it would go away."

Punk remained silent, waiting for John to continue.

"It's my youngest brother, Sean. He was diagnosed with a brain tumor. He's been on intense chemo and radiation."

"Did something happen? Do you need to go home? Laurinaitis might be a dick about it but I could call Hunter, let Stephanie pull rank on him."

"It's not what you think. It's so amazing; I have no idea why I couldn't stop crying, relief maybe. The latest MRI showed that the tumor is shrinking, the treatment is working. I can't wait to see him when we're in Boston for the next Raw. There are going to be ecstatic Cenas as far as the eye can see. You're going to be there right?"

"It's Raw, of course I'll be there."

"No. I mean you'll be with me right, when I see my family. They want to meet you, though I have to admit that you're going before the firing squad when you meet my brothers, hopefully none of them will pull the trigger on you."

"That sounds ominous. Maybe I should call Hunter and see if I can't get out of Raw."

"If you don't want them showing up unannounced on your doorstep I would suggest that you just face the music. They'll love you because I do."

"Or they'll wonder what in the world is wrong with their sweet and trusting brother that he ended up with a crazy, tattooed freak."

"They already know it's you I'm dating. Just be yourself and you won't have to deal with a gaggle of overprotective Cena men."

"Maybe I'll just turn on the charm and get your Mom on my side. Moms have all the power."

"Your Mom has all the power. She somehow managed to put the fear of God into you which I still can't figure out. Can I ask you a question?

"Ask away."

"Well you're going to be meeting the entirety of my immediate family, why haven't I met anyone besides your Mom?"

"Because I don't speak to half of them."

"I know why you don't speak to your Dad. I do know how to use the internet and I've seen the promos you did when you were feuding with Raven in Ring of Honor."

"Then you have all the explanation you need."

"I know you have a sister due to the infamous Kevin Nash text."

"I have two sisters and a brother I do not speak to. Embezzlement tends to destroy any brotherly bond."

"Can I meet your sisters then?"

"If you want, next time we're in Chicago."

"What about Colt?"

"You didn't meet him when he was in the WWE?"

"Not really. Maybe in passing once or twice."

"What brought this sudden urge on?"

"We've been together for a while now and since I intend to keep you, I just thought it was probably time. Do they not approve or something?"

"They probably think that you're too nice for me but I think that the majority of the time as well."

"I'm not nice all the time."

"I've seen you beat people silly with a smile on your face."

"Maybe I was enjoying their pain."

"Really?"

"Okay, maybe not. My brother is getting better, wrestling is my dream job, I'm going to kick the Rock's ass at WrestleMania, and I have you…what isn't there to be happy about?"

"Indeed."

"The correct response was supposed to be you telling me that you're happy to be with me too."

"I am happy."

"It's just you forgave me for being a moron faster than I ever thought you would. You do like to hold a grudge."

"If I wasn't happy I wouldn't be with you, end of story."

"As if I'd let you leave in the first place."

"You're right. I'd probably have to quit wrestling, change my name and move to Madagascar or something."

"That still wouldn't be far enough away," John said, smiling his usual sunny smile.

Punk leaned in kissing John softly. He had been hesitant about John crossing the last line and meeting his dysfunctional family. His family was always something he kept fiercely private. Letting John meet them would obliterate any space that was left between them. There was only one last step after that and he didn't know if he was ready for it yet.

**February 27, 2012**

_Monday Night Raw_

Punk was thoroughly ashamed of himself. While John had been in the shower Punk had gone through his things. The only things of note were the Best in the World t-shirt that he had given him the morning after Money in the Bank buried deep in his suitcase and a sewing kit from one of the hotels that they had stayed at. Punk had never seen John sew anything, not even a button. That was probably because Punk would probably mock him about resembling someone's grandmother.

Punk and John entered the arena in Portland and Punk was immediately informed that he would be facing Daniel again in a rematch. Punk had quickly lost any respect he had for Daniel after the mess on Smackdown. He tried to walk away from the match once and then had cheated by holding the ropes in an attempt to pin him. He had also fallen into step with Laurinaitis which meant that Daniel was basically dead to him. The match on Smackdown had also seemed to involve half the roster and he doubted that tonight would be any different.

What he was really worried about was Jericho, particularly after his strange behavior at the house shows. Jericho seemed to do whatever he pleased and hand no checks on his behavior at all. He knew Jericho was in attendance even though he did not have a match and an idle Jericho was a dangerous Jericho.

Luckily the one thing that he didn't have to worry about was John who seemed to be in a particularly sunny mood considering what was going to befall him tonight. The Rock was returning with the express purpose of humiliating him but John seemed like he was happy to see the Rock or Dwayne as John had taken to calling him. John didn't even seem put out, unlike the rest of the roster, when the Rock strolled into the arena, surrounded by his entourage and escorted to a private dressing room far from the roster, and hadn't said a word to anyone.

Punk pulled on his gear and made his way to the arena entrance and found a crowd of highly hostile people: Long and Santino, Daniel, AJ, Otunga and Laurinaitis. This match had already degenerated into a clusterfuck even though no one had even stepped foot in the ring yet.

Punk entered the arena and played up to the crowd. Daniel was announced but it was not Daniel's music that played through the arena, it was Jericho's who entered with a mic already in hand. He had a feeling Jericho wasn't coming to the ring to wish him good luck in his match. He was sure that Jericho was trying to convey anger but the seizure causing Lite Brite jacket really undercut anything he had come into the ring to say. Even though Jericho said that Punk was one of his favorites that didn't mean that Punk was better than him. Jericho next argued that he had more experience due to traveling around the world to wrestle. Punk just smiled because he knew he had put his time in at ROH and other smaller promotions. Jericho tried to paint himself as some sort of rebellious force in the world of wrestling. Punk just rolled his eyes. Rebellion? Who precisely did Jericho think he was talking to? The last straw was when Jericho accused him of plagiarism and being a Jericho wannabe. He had listened quite long enough.

Jericho was immediately taken aback when Punk admitted how good Jericho was but instantly refuted stealing anything.

"The problem I have with you is you coming out here and insinuating that I've stolen anything from you. I've never plagiarized anything in my life. Everything I have I fought for and earned. You think you invented saying that you are the best? Are you kidding me? There was a guy I remember watching when I was a kid, you probably watched him too. His name was Bret Hart. The best there is, the best there was, and the best there ever will be. Did you invent that? Did you give that to him when you were 2 years old? He's Canadian; did you invent him being Canadian? Did you invent Canada?"

Jericho continued on. Punk thought he was egomaniacal? Jericho's ego could seriously eclipse the sun. Punk almost lost it when Jericho called himself undeserved on accident but he had to give it to the guy when he didn't correct himself and kept steamrolling through a list of accolades that every guy that stepped foot in the ring was aware of. He was growing sick of Jericho very quickly. Exactly who was Jericho trying to convince that he was the best. Punk knew he cheap shotted Jericho when he brought up Jericho's greatest accomplishment, being the first undisputed Champion. The way he came about attaining that title was tarnished and all the fans knew it. He wasn't their Champion; he was just some guy strolling around with belts that he didn't rightly earn. Jericho was also none too happy when Punk took a shot at Jericho for all the things he did outside the ring, which honestly, didn't mean shit to Punk. Punk craved competition, not the bright lights of the mainstream entertainment industry. He was more than happy for his entire career to take place between the ropes. Punk wondered how with all Jericho's outside interests he had any time to care what Punk was up to, much less apparently obsess over. Punk was growing tired of Jericho's drama queen behavior because if Jericho would have just asked for a match Punk would have readily given it to him. Punk had the urge to kiss Daniel when his music played through the arena and brought Jericho's Greek tragedy to an end.

Daniel walked down the ramp with his posse in tow. Exactly how many people did Daniel think it was going to take to beat him? Predictably Punk was attacked from behind when Laurinaitis distracted him. Punk couldn't blame anyone but himself for that because just one look at Laurinaitis' face and the urge to decimate the man took over. They were giving the fans one hell of a match until everyone and their mom decided to get involved with the match. Daniel took advantage of the confusion and again tried to duck out of the match until Sheamus showed up, the match ending as it had on Smackdown with Punk hitting Daniel with the GTS. Before the official could even begin the count Laurinaitis was in the ring calling for the bell. Punk and Laurinaitis started arguing but that was quickly cut short when Long entered the ring and knocked Clown Shoes on his ass and he found he couldn't stop laughing. As the ring started filling up with the warring factions Punk took his belt and headed to the arena entrance. There were quite enough people in the ring already.

He turned his back to the entrance to play to the crowd and found himself being thrown to the floor. Jericho started banging his head repeatedly against the steel grating and after a body slam, found himself in the Walls of Jericho, Jericho's knee pressing his face into the grating and he could not free himself. Jericho eventually let up when a horde of officials showed up. He was badly hurt and cringed when he had to be helped to the back. It made him look weak, which he hated above all things. He was surprised he hadn't been opened up after hitting the unforgiving grating so many times.

He was laid out in the trainer's room being checked over when John came through the door, the worry obvious on his face. Punk did his best to convince John that he wasn't as hurt as it seemed. John had a match with Miz and there was still the Rock to contend with. He eventually convinced John to leave for his match with the help of the trainers who went along with Punk's story that he wasn't that hurt. The second the door closed behind John he collapsed back on the table. He ended up on his stomach with ice packs on his lower back and the back of his head. He figured he could stay there for an hour or so but knew that he needed to find his way to the monitor bay so he could be with John when the Rock showed up.

Punk knew he was in trouble when he heard the trainer's room door open after 10 or so minutes. It was exactly the time when Punk thought John would be finished with Miz and returned to the monitor bay to find him absent. He heard the scurrying of feet and when he looked up the trainers were practically running from the room under the force of John's glare.

"So, this is your definition of not being injured? You do this over and over again. I'm your boyfriend not your opponent. If you're injured you can tell me. I'm not going to leave the room, find Jericho, and tell him that he did a hell of a number on you."

"I don't want to look weak."

"We all look weak sometime. If you don't want the roster to see you like this I understand but you don't have to lie to me. Can't you understand that if you're hurt I want to be here with you, to take care of you, to make sure that if Jericho decides to stroll into the room and take another shot at you I'm here to beat him until the trainers really have something to do."

John watched dumbfounded when Punk sat up and began to get off the table.

"What are you doing? Didn't you hear a word I just said?"

"The Rock is coming back tonight. You need to be in the monitor bay and I need to be there with you."

"Phil…"

"Don't worry. I'll let you submerge me in an ice bath once we get back to the hotel. Let's go."

A clearly frustrated John followed Punk to the monitor bay and watched as Punk just threw himself into a seat, showing no hint of the pain he was in. His eyes caught Jericho smirking at Punk from the back row. He took a seat next to Punk and watched the match between Show and Sheamus vs. Rhodes and Mark Henry. The final hour of the show was winding down and Dwayne would be showing his face soon.

John leaned over and spoke quietly in Punk's ear. "Do you remember telling me to stay away from Jericho no matter what happens? The same thing goes for Dwayne. He's going to say some nasty things but you're just going to have to stay in your seat no matter how pissed off you get. Dwayne is my problem. Do you understand?"

"I understand. It doesn't mean I'm happy with it."

The Rock's music started playing and the crowd was deafening. Punk leaned over to check Kofi's phone. There was a little less than half the show left. This was not going to be pretty. It took the Rock five minutes to quiet the crowd down so that he could even speak. After a Boots to Asses chant finally died down the Rock promised more chants to come. Punk just rolled his eyes. The crowd was going to follow the Rock wherever he led them even if it was moronic as hell.

The Fruity Pebbles chant, perfectly acceptable. John did have a revolving color wheel of shirts, each one more offensive to the eyes than the last; he had said it himself to John on occasion. Then came the Kung Pao Chicken chant. He had to admit that John and the Rock were perfectly matched in their ability to come up with come of the strangest phrases he had ever heard. The crowd lit up with a Rocky chant in response. The Rock had just basically read a menu from a Chinese restaurant and the crowd went crazy. And then the Rock started with the Twitter trending. Dear God was this ever going to come to an end? Of course John's lady parts eventually found their way into the promo. He looked over at John who was just smiling at the monitor. Punk breathed a sigh of relief when John stood up.

"Tell me you're going to go out there and smack him in the mouth and bring this to an end."

"Sorry but no, I'm going out there and make this even crazier."

Punk just shook his head as John left for the arena entrance. The Rock didn't seem very surprised when John entered the arena. John seemed far too happy for someone entering the hostile situation of facing an entire arena of Rock fans. The Rock was getting more and more pissed as John went on. Then John dropped what could only be considered a pipe bomb when he revealed that the Rock wrote notes for his promo on his wrist. There were places that you just didn't go in the business and John had just blown right past that line. The Rock looked shocked for a moment and then looked like he wanted to lay John out right then and there. John jumped out of the ring.

"Carry on, continue trending."

The Rock looked completely taken aback at the shot John had just leveled at him. The Rock continued on but he was obviously shaken. That was made entirely clear when the Rock threw the mic out of the ring, and reading his lips, wondered if the Rock knew that motherfucker was not considered in line with their PG rating. John had succeeded in throwing the Rock completely off his game and he was incensed. Score 1 for John.

_AN: Three things_

_1) Info on Punk's family is thin on the ground on the net. If you spot a mistake please let me know so that I can fix it._

_2) A heartfelt thank you to all my reviewers who are just as awesome as can be. Like most girls, flattery will get you everywhere, meaning the undeniable urge to update as soon as possible._

_3) I was screwing around on YouTube as I tend to do when bored and started watching Gracie Breakdown. If you want to see Punk get tossed around Gracie Jiu-Jitsu style check it out. He is obviously more flexible than even us slash vixens are giving him credit for._


	25. Chapter 25

_This chapter is dedicated to CaptainYuzuki18 who provided me with all I needed to let my mind run even wilder than usual._

**March 3, 2012**

Punk was wondering that maybe he was approaching this marriage angle from the wrong perspective. He had never been one to think through his emotions and come up with reliable conclusions. They were in Ontario for 2 house shows. What would John do if Punk just dragged him to the local provincial court house and demanded he marry him right then and there? John would probably say yes but would regret not having his friends and family there. John may be gay but he still adhered to a more traditional set of values.

Laurinaitis and Otunga were not in attendance at the house shows so Jericho was again being appointed as a special enforcer for his matches against Ziggler. Due to Jericho's long tenure in the WWE he probably had a long standing friendship with the road agents who would give Jericho whatever he wanted without question. Apparently what Jericho wanted was to persecute Punk with an ever changing strategy.

At the last run of house shows Jericho had allowed Ziggler to fight with him to a point and then disqualifying Ziggler for the outside interference of his pathetic he met Ziggler in the ring today Ziggler had his eyes trained on the curtain. Vickie and Swagger had also accompanied him to the ring. Jericho came out to ringside and immediately went to Ziggler's corner and began speaking to him. What exactly was Jericho up to now? The answer to that question was making Ziggler's posse distract the referee constantly. Punk found himself the victim of Code Breakers and Lionsaults, Jericho using every move in his repertoire to punish Punk physically due to Jericho's perception that Punk was nothing more than a cheap copy of himself. If Jericho could manipulate the road agents why wouldn't he ask for a match with Punk himself, not use this cowardly ruse to torture him. Punk could only guess at the thoughts which ran through Jericho's brain but he definitely didn't seem to want a piece of Punk before WrestleMania. Punk managed to pull out a win using the Anaconda Vise, timing it so that the official was in the center of the ring, far away from the ropes and possible interference so that the official's attention was trained on the match and caught Ziggler tapping out.

John was facing Kane in the ring but after the Ambulance Match and the utter failure of Kane's mind games the Big Red Machine's evil intentions seemed to have abated and John put him away easily. Kofi had been facing Jericho and always brought his A game but Jericho was sneaky and the Code Breaker could come out of nowhere. Jericho would lock in the Walls of Jericho after the bell had rung, causing a team of officials to come out to the ring and resolve the situation. Punk couldn't be sure but he thought that Jericho's treatment of Kofi was probably punishment for just being Punk's friend. Jericho's mind was obviously a sick and twisted place and Punk was his chosen target.

Punk was sure the world was conspiring against him. They were leaving the gay friendly environs of Canada only to go to Massachusetts where gay marriage was also legal. He was heading into the danger zone of meeting the full force of the Cena clan. Punk tried to portray a confident and laid back demeanor every time John brought up the subject of meeting his family. Punk was hiding his intense worry that John's family wouldn't like him, wouldn't approve of their relationship. If he couldn't win over the Cena's what would happen to their relationship? John's family was very important to him and if the decision was not in his favor, how would John react? Unfortunately the first impression they had of him was physically and mentally torturing John at every turn. He was dreading this meeting because there was a big chance that they would disapprove and John could be lost to him forever.

**March 5, 2012**

_Monday Night Raw_

Punk was given a reprieve when John told him that his family wouldn't be backstage before the show but had ringside seats and they would meet up with them for drinks after the show. John had to be at the arena early and when Punk walked in one of the first people that he came across was Shawn Michaels.

"I'm sorry we missed each other a few weeks ago, but, you know, Jericho…"

"Punk, if anyone knows about Jericho it's me."

Shawn was taken aback when Punk shot forward and hugged him tightly.

"I didn't realize CM Punk was giving out free hugs these days."

"I just wanted to thank you. They would have sacked me in the first year if it wasn't for you standing up for me," Punk said, breaking the hug and stepping back.

"I knew you had it, even if the rest of the WWE higher ups couldn't see it."

"I know I wouldn't be where I am if it wasn't for you and I just wanted you to know how thankful I am. I'm sure that I'm far from their first choice for being the WWE Champion and representing the company."

"I think the fans have made it overwhelmingly clear that you are their chosen Champion. You did all the work; I just held them off from committing an act of extreme stupidity. This is totally off the topic but Hunter told me something so strange that I can't even believe it. I was pretty sure he was just messing with me the entire time we were talking."

"What did he say?"

"Well first off it seems like you and Hunter have buried the hatchet which is so bizarre I don't know what to say."

"A lot of my current friendships are based on there being some bloody battle between us that somehow leads to friendship afterwards."

"The really shocking thing he told me was that you and Cena were dating. John Cena, really? I guess it's really true that opposites attract, and we're talking about a very extreme case here."

"I know, but to my ever increasing surprise we seem to be a perfect fit. I've got to run and get changed but I just wanted to say thank you."

"A word of advice, don't ever underestimate Jericho. Just when you think he's reached the outer limits of depravity he finds a way to go to sicker lengths."

Punk entered the locker room and spied Randy talking to John who slapped Randy in the back of his head. Punk quickly made his way to John's side. This had all the makings of being utterly hilarious.

"What the hell! I make my triumphant return to Raw and I get slapped upside the head?"

"You told my parents about me and Phil! Don't you think that I was capable of judging the timing of that particular announcement for myself?"

"No, not really. You were sure taking your sweet time about it. I'm sure everything worked out fine in the end didn't it?"

"It did, but try not to be such a gossip in the future would you."

"Your family's here tonight, right?"

"Yeah, I'm going to introduce them to Phil," Randy immediately looked at Punk with a wry smile.

"Oh, this is going to be classic. Can I come? Punk is going to seriously blow it considering he has a tendency to come off as a complete jackass on first meeting."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence Randy," Punk responded, flipping him off.

"Oh yeah, you're a total sweetheart."

Punk looked to John to see how he reacted to his and Randy's conversation and it didn't look good. John had a seriously worried look on his face. Punk knew John loved him to the point that he couldn't imagine anyone not seeing the things in him that he saw. Punk knew that the idea had finally dawned on John that maybe this wasn't going to work out as well as he imagined it would.

Punk changed and waited for a road agent to find him and let him know who he would be competing against tonight. He was expecting absolute pandemonium. Teddy Long would be in charge of Raw tonight. Although Punk would prefer a ham sandwich or a beeping laptop to John Laurinaitis he had to admit that Teddy Long wasn't that stellar a choice either. Punk knew about the chaos that Smackdown sometimes degenerated into due to Long's preference for crazy, on the spot tag matches.

The first indication that the show was bound for anarchy was the opening match of Santino taking on Swagger for the US Championship. Swagger was accompanied by Ziggler, Vickie, Otunga and Laurinaitis. After a string of interference Long came out to the ring with Aksana and Kofi. The match itself was secondary to the mayhem outside the ring. Ziggler was in the ring so much you would think it was a handicap match. Punk thought that he had pushed Laurinaitis to his limits with the constant insults but Long was able to elevate Laurinaitis to shades of anger that Punk had never received before. A catfight broke out between Vickie and Aksana and Long again knocked Laurinaitis on his ass. Somehow in the melee Santino managed to roll up Swagger and become the new United States Champion. Punk had a feeling that wouldn't last for long considering that Laurinaitis conversely had control of Smackdown. The final insult was when Long booted both Laurinaitis and Otunga from the building.

The Long camp was still celebrating in the ring when he was informed that he was going to be the recipient of one of Long's famous tag matches. He would be partnering Sheamus against Daniel and Jericho. While Punk didn't have anything against Sheamus, he was more of a brawler and was getting ready to step in the ring with the 3 best technical wrestlers on the roster.

When the celebrating finally concluded the feed cut to the Rock. He heard John let out an exasperated laugh.

"Dwayne is back for one Raw and he's already resorted to his usual method of pre-recorded videos. He probably needed cue cards."

Punk was having an issue trying to keep a frown on his face for John's sake but all he wanted to do was crack up laughing. The Rock was mocking John for his utter crapfest of merchandise. Punk had made fun of John for this on occasion. Since his ascension to the top of the WWE Punk kept a keen eye on his merchandise to make sure it hadn't gotten completely out of hand. The Rock was chucking things into Boston Harbor and then he held up a garden gnome. There were some things about his merchandise that irked him, but nothing like John's garden gnome, thank God. Punk couldn't handle it anymore and burst out laughing.

"Aren't you supposed to be on my side?" John asked testily.

"I can't help it. A garden gnome? I love you and even I wouldn't put that in my yard, if I had a yard that is."

"I'm guessing Dwayne hasn't looked at his merch page lately because he has his very own garden gnome."

Punk kept watching, trying not to laugh in John's face when the Rock got to the John Cena cologne. Punk glanced over at John and even he seemed abashed at the stupidity of the item.

The Divas match was next and Punk had to admit that he wasn't actually paying attention. He finally looked up when he heard Ryder's music. He hadn't even realized that Ryder had returned. He was probably hiding out from him and John, not eager to be put out of action yet again. Ryder was still injured enough to need a cane to assist him in walking. He had more pressing things to worry about tonight, like meeting John's family. Ryder could wait until another day. Ryder had a backbone for 1 minute until Eve kissed him and left him in the hallway grinning like a fool. Punk wished both backstabbing bitches all the best.

John showed up on screen in an empty arena. This must have been what John needed to be at the arena early for. John gave a heartfelt promo. When John started talking about what would happen if he lost, Punk reached over and grabbed John's hand, squeezing it tightly. John looked over for a moment and gave him a thankful smile. Everything John was saying made Punk finally take the situation between John and the Rock seriously. All the jokes, tossing things off a bridge, made light of what was a deadly serious situation. Punk had never really thought about what would happen if John lost, he had never even considered the possibility. Punk knew that if John lost it would destroy him and for once Punk would have to be the strong one and help John through the completely devastating loss. He gave John's hand one final squeeze and left the monitor bay for his match without saying a word to John. He didn't know what to say after that promo that had just aired.

Punk awaited Sheamus in the ring. He entered and slung his arm across Punk's shoulders and watched as Daniel entered with AJ.

"You know that could have been you, fella?"

"Considering my present circumstances I almost wish it was."

Punk looked around at the cheering crowd and his eyes fell on 3 guys who were not cheering, just staring him down from the front row. These guys had very familiar facial features. These were John's brothers and they did not look very happy to see him. Punk broke the stare down when Jericho's music hit. Jericho made his way to the ring and even just looking at the guy made his back twinge. He didn't show it when he started kicking Jericho's ass all over the ring, one move following another with a quickness that Jericho could not keep up with, made evident when he slid out of the ring and tagged in a reluctant Daniel. Jericho was glaring at him from outside the ring and Punk just smirked in return. It wasn't his fault that Jericho was showing his age. He tagged in an eager Sheamus who took it to Daniel who pulled a Jericho and tagged in his unsuspecting partner. Jericho punished his lower back, capitalizing on the injury he had inflicted the week before. The match continued on until Punk and Jericho met again in the ring and he narrowly avoided the Walls of Jericho and rolled Jericho up for the pin. At the last moment Jericho reversed the move and Punk found himself pinned with nothing to blame it on except himself. He watched as Jericho took his belt from ringside and paraded around with it. The final insult was when Jericho slid the belt into the ring at him, a superior, mocking smile on his face. Punk found John's brothers in the crowd again and he imagined they were less than impressed. Of all the fucking nights to lose to Jericho.

Punk walked backstage to the locker room to shower and change and heard the Rock's voice coming from the monitor bay. He stood in the hallway and watched him ridicule John yet again. He could only hope that when the Rock showed his face at the arena John would humiliate him even more than he had last week. When he returned to the monitor bay John looked up at him. Punk decided immediately not to mention the chilly reception from his brothers out in the arena.

"Did they not tell you?" John asked.

"Tell me what?"

"They asked me to do the dark match against Kane and I told them to make it a tag with you and where you go Jericho follows. At least you'll get a chance to throw that win back in his face. Go change quick, you wouldn't want to miss the Rock gracing us with his presence."

Punk went back to the locker room to change back into his gear and reappeared just in time to walk John to the arena entrance. John had decided to get the jump on the Rock and take the offensive in the ring. Right after John walked through the curtain to greet a hostile hometown crowd he heard footsteps approaching and he turned to see the Rock surrounded by his entourage. The Rock glanced at him briefly and just as quickly dismissed him. He hoped John gave the cocky fucker just what he deserved.

John made fun of the Rock's History Lesson promos and Punk smiled when John mentioned the Rock's dramatic head whips that Punk had never really thought to label before.

"What is the Rock saying about me? He's obsessed with breakfast cereal, makes fun of the way I look, he talks about his Clydesdale or his Stonewall Jackson or whatever he calling his penis, and then he talks about how many girls he's had sex with. Wait a minute, am I fighting the Rock at WrestleMania or The Situation from Jersey Shore?"

Punk laughed out loud at that one and earned himself a glare from the Rock.

"You think that's funny?"

"Hilarious."

"Being Champion not enough work for you so you run me down on Twitter to keep yourself busy."

"I make the time to say whatever I want about you whenever you want."

"You must be one of those 30 year old Cena fans."

"Uh, obviously," Punk answered totally confused.

John started making fun of the way he dresses and Punk started laughing again when John said that all he came out to do was talk to the fans and he was wearing knee pads. John said there were a million jokes in that statement alone but Punk's mind began to wander to what other non-wrestling activities knee pads were good for. When his thoughts cleared the Rock was still in the gorilla position.

"If you don't get out there soon he's going to do your job for you, you won't have anything left to hashtag."

The Rock was either sick of him or sick of hearing John talk because before Punk knew it the Rock had his music queued up and was through the curtain. Punk thought that John's promos about the Rock were some of the best he had ever heard John do, at least promos that didn't rhyme. Let the Rock try and beat that.

He was sure the Rock was trying to be intimidating but the crowd didn't seem into it. They wanted the Rock to crack jokes and start chants not deliver a Shakespearean monologue. The crowd made their feelings known when a "Tooth Fairy" chant started up. Even John seemed surprised. The Rock continued to try and threaten John getting right up in his face but John's smile never cracked. When the Rock walked back through the curtain he could tell that he was pissed that his message had definitely not been received. It was a good thing that the Rock had left the gorilla position and didn't see John pull down his wrist bands to show he had scribbled gibberish on his forearm. John 2, the Rock 0.

Punk watched as John dove over the barricade into his brothers and threw up his patented hand signs. John grabbed a beer out of a woman's hand, took a sip and tossed it at the camera. Punk really hoped that woman was the wife of one of his brothers and not some random chick in the crowd. John made his way a few seats down and hugged his Dad. Punk watched as the live feed cut off on the monitors in the gorilla position. After a minute or so the feed clicked back on, the cameras catching the dark match in case something insane occurred. John grabbed the mic he had tossed to the ground.

John started talking about his brother and his battle with cancer. He could hear John's breath hitch, getting very choked up as he told his hometown crowd that his brother was getting better. John announced that he would be celebrating by getting wasted. John rubbed his hands over his face a few times and then leaned on the ropes motioning to the arena entrance emphatically.

"I think you're being paged," and the tech started his music. Punk was walking down the ramp and John was still leaning on the ropes staring at him as he neared the ring. Punk wanted to wrap his arms around John but had to settle for briefly placing his hand on John's forearm when he entered the ring.

"You okay?"

"I'm excellent."

"Are you really going to get wasted and leave me at the mercy of your brothers? Because I am so not taking care of your drunk ass if you do. You know you have the worst tolerance ever."

"What do I get if I stay sober?"

"What do you want?"

"I can think of a few things."

Both men turned when they heard a sharp intake of breath. They both turned in the direction of the sound and realized that the official had been standing there the whole time and heard John proposition Punk for sex. They both laughed and stepped away to their corner, John going to the outside so that Punk could start the match off taking on Jericho and redeeming himself after his defeat earlier in the night. Punk was leaning against the ropes watching Jericho enter and most probably got singed when Kane's pyro went off in very close proximity to him. John reached over his fingertips brushing the small of his back.

"I think it's safe to say that if our opponents can't get to the ring without lighting each other on fire then we've got this."

Punk and Jericho wasted no time in locking up. Punk was determined to beat Jericho down to negate his fluke victory earlier in the night. Punk was beating Jericho's ass from post to post. Punk scaled the ropes and went for the elbow drop but Jericho rolled out of the way and Punk slammed into the mat. Both men went for the tag. John's good mood was evident and he beat Kane silly, setting him up for the AA. Jericho ran into the ring to interfere but Punk was right there waiting for him, hitting the GTS, Jericho rolling out of the ring and onto the floor. Punk knew that the match was over and didn't even bother exiting the ring and just sat down in their corner of the ring. Apparently the tech thought the win was a forgone conclusion as well because the official had only counted to 2 when John's music started playing throughout the arena.

"Really!" Punk yelled, John turning to face him after the pin was actually made and just shrugged his shoulders, pulling Punk to his feet so they could celebrate their win. They made their way up the ramp and even Punk recognized that John was standing entirely too close in view of the remaining fans. They made their way to the locker room and their bags were the only ones left in the room.

"Tonight is so my night," John said, and Punk turned around just in time to see John lock the door behind them and John started throwing off his clothes sinking to his feet in front of Punk and struggling with Punk's kick pads.

"That's it! Take your own kick pads off before I toss you in the shower and fuck you with them still on."

Punk bent over at the waist and started the process of getting the pads off.

"Wait a minute. Screw the shower, maybe I'll take you right here just like this," and John rubbed his erection against Punk's ass.

"Not to put you off your game Casanova but with me bent in half like this all the blood will rush to my head and I'll pass out before we even finish. How sexy would that be?"

"Then get your fucking kick pads off, strip down and meet me in the shower," John punctuating his sentence with a firm smack to Punk's ass and walked into the showers.

Punk was still staring wide-eyed at the door John went through when he heard the water turn on. Punk didn't think he was one for getting spanked but damn he was turned on by it. Punk didn't know what he was in for with John in his current mood but he didn't waste any time ripping off his kick pads and throwing his trunks god knows where. Punk was barely in the door when John pulled him under the spray, kissing him feverishly. Punk didn't even try to fight John for dominance, perfectly happy for John to take complete control. John's nails raked down his sides, his hands finding Punk's ass and kneading the muscles firmly.

"Up."

Punk didn't need any more direction, jumping up and wrapping his legs around John's waist. John backed him against the wall of the shower, letting it take some of Punk's weight.

"Fuck me, take me, do whatever you want, I just need you in me now," Punk moaned against John's lips.

John slid into him forcefully, Punk's had falling back against the wall. He felt the burn from being stretched wide around John's cock but it was setting every nerve in his body on fire in the most visceral way. John was pounding into him, his cock hitting his prostate with every stroke. Punk could barely catch his breath. John was fucking him raw and Punk just wanted more. He bit down hard on the muscle between John's neck and shoulder so hard he could almost feel his teeth meet. John's pace became brutal, and Punk couldn't even get out the words to beg John to get him off. John sensed his desperation and, holding Punk's body up with one arm, slid his hand between their bodies and started jerking Punk off vigorously. Punk came after a few swift strokes, coming between them, his muscles seizing around John's cock. John started to lose his rhythm, erratically thrusting in him. Punk felt John's nails pierce the skin of his upper thighs as John's hips stilled, coming deep inside him.

Punk's legs fell from around John's waist, his back sliding down the slick wall; he fell into a well-used heap, his thighs tingling from being wrapped around John so tightly. Punk looked up at John from his position on the floor. John bent down and swept him off his feet, carrying him into the locker room and laying him out on the bench. John draped his legs over his shoulders and tilted his hips up.

"Fuck…" was all Punk could force out when he felt John's tongue circle his entrance and then slide deep inside him, tongue fucking his already oversensitive entrance. John continued to devour him from the inside, John's moans mixing with the wet noises his mouth was making. John sat up, his thighs falling from John's shoulders and John pulled him into his lap. John kissed him slowly, Punk tasting a mix of himself, John's come, and John's unique tang. John pulled away and kissed Punk gently once more. Punk's head fell on John's shoulder, John bringing a hand up to tangle in his hair.

"That was…" Punk murmured against the skin of John's neck.

"…fucking amazing."

"Do you think if we just collapsed here they wouldn't discover us til morning?"

"We need to actually shower."

"I don't think I can move."

"I'll hold you up; we have to go meet my brothers."

"After that you want me to go have a coherent conversation with your family!"

"I don't think it matters what words you string together because you look like you've been fucked within an inch of your life and I'll know I made you that way. There's no getting out of this so get yourself in the shower."

Punk walked on unsteady legs into the shower, John joining him, leading to more kissing than actual showering, running their hands over the marks they had left on each other's bodies. They finally pulled themselves together and headed to the pub they were meeting his brothers at. They walked in to find them already there.

"What the hell John? We had to drop both Dad and Matt's wife off and we still beat you here?"

"I think the more correct question is if John was mauled by some wild animal on his way here," his brother pointing to his neck. John rested his hand over the bite mark that Punk had left and shrugged.

"If you have to question that then I feel sorry for your wife because you are obviously not doing something right."

"You got burned."

Punk's head just whipped back and forth, trying to follow the high paced banter of the Cena men.

"So Punk, you prefer Punk right?"

"Yes."

"Form any cults lately?"

Punk's mouth just dropped open, the interrogation had started and every crazy ass decision he had made was now open for discussion.

"Not that it matters really because Johnny here doesn't have any hair to shave off."

"Johnny, really?" and Punk looked at John with a devious smile.

"Thanks moron, now he's going to start calling me that too. Anymore ammunition you want to give him?"

"We left the embarrassing baby pictures in the car. We can go get them if you want?"

"Try to restrain yourselves. I think I'm going to need a drink. You want anything?" John asked Punk, ignoring his brothers completely.

"I doubt there's Pepsi so just water."

Punk watched John leave and realized he had been left to the wolves.

"Since John hasn't been so forthcoming maybe we can get some information out of you. When did you two get together?"

"Around the beginning of July."

"Beginning of July? Wasn't that when Money in the Bank was?"

"Yeah."

"So let me get this straight. You two were fighting over the Championship but somehow managed to start a relationship at the same time?"

"That's basically it."

"What the hell is wrong with you two?"

"Ignore that moronic question please. I'm assuming you had to make the first move?"

"Actually John…"

"John pursued you? That has to be a first."

"Here you go; they actually had a random case of Pepsi behind the bar. I think he charged me like $5 for it so you better enjoy it. What did I miss?"

"Punk here telling us that you've been together since July. We only found out about this at Christmas and we probably wouldn't have known at all if not for Randy telling Dad."

"Give John a break, it has to be hard to keep a secret like that."

"Secret my ass. With all the touching and eyefucking I saw in the ring tonight I'm surprised there weren't signs with John + Punk with a heart drawn around their names in the crowd."

"What about Hell in a Cell. You two seemed happy enough to kick each other all over that cage."

"That's the issue. John and I are brilliant in the ring together but add a third party like del Rio and we either overcompensate or get too distracted worrying about the other's welfare. We've never had a fight about one person winning the belt because it usually ends up with neither of us winning the belt. We know now it's better for us not to be competing against each other."

"Does your family know?"

"My Mom does and she loves John, probably because he's the nicest person in the world and plies her with flowers and expensive jewelry."

"That's John alright. Every Mother's Day he shows our asses up."

"Is the Spanish Inquisition over now? Punk and I have had a long night and we have to get up at a normal hour to have breakfast with Mom and Dad tomorrow. I'm sure she'll cook enough for an army so you're all welcome to come. Oh wait, you can't, work and everything. Guess you'll just have to miss out. I'll go close our tab, I'll be right back."

"There's just one thing we need to say before John gets back."

"More dirt?"

"No. If you break his heart we'll beat you to death with a shovel and they'll never find the body."

John returned to the table and Punk looked at him with alarmed eyes.

"What did they say?"

"We just welcomed him to the family."

_AN: Threatening to beat someone to death with a shovel is a time honored tradition in the Buffy fandom. I appropriated it for use here. This chapter took a lot of work so I can't promise a quick update. Hope you like this chapter as much as I did. Reviews make me happy and a happy writer is a prolific writer._


	26. Chapter 26

_This chapter is dedicated to DulcineaIsis who had the unfortunate task of hand holding me through a crisis of creativity and managed to talk me down from the ledge and to HeartDeNijs who manages to inspire me to write even when I've been in a creative void. Both are the awesomest of the awesome._

**March 6, 2012**

Punk stared out the window of John's rental as they made their way to John's parent's house. His knee was bouncing up and down and he was biting his nails. He had never been one to make a very good impression on people's parents. Hell, he didn't even need to open his mouth to give them a bad opinion of him. These were John's parents, the people that had raised his boyfriend and made him the person he was today. There was no way that this could go well. His worries were confirmed when John stopped in front of a house with 4 cars in the driveway and more lining the street.

"I thought this was just supposed to be us and your parents?"

"It seems my brothers decided to call in sick today."

"Didn't they have enough fun at my expense last night?" Punk questioned out loud but in his mind was the graphic threat of his own death that had been issued the night before. They exited the car and Punk grabbed John's hand and held it tightly in his own.

"Are you nervous or something?"

"Me, nervous, ha!"

"You are, that's so cute," John leaned over and kissed him and Punk heard the door open and immediately pulled away. There was no getting that moment back. The first thing John's mother had seen of him was him making out with her son on her doorstep.

"Johnny!" John's mom came forward and wrapped John in a hug and kissed him on the cheek. "You must be Phil," and John's Mom hugged him and kissed him on the cheek as well. "You are the popular one. The whole family showed up bright and early this morning even though none of them had been invited. I had to send your Dad out to buy enough food to feed an army. I know they're not here to see Johnny," and John's Mom led them into the living room.

"Johnny, huh?"

"You even start with that and you'll open yourself up to all kinds of endearments, darling."

Punk entered the living room and his eyes widened comically and his mouth dropped open. This wasn't just John's brothers; it was their wives and their small children. He found himself passed around by the wives while their husbands stared him down behind their backs. He was going to end up buried in the backyard, he just knew it.

"The provisions are here can I get a hand?" John's Dad walked past with bags of groceries blocking his view of the living room. Punk watched in shock as John's previously intimidating brothers were fixed with piercing looks from their wives and they all stood up and immediately went outside to help bring in the groceries. Apparently the only thing Cena men feared were their wives. Punk had never had the opportunity to order John around to do menial things he didn't want to do but it was good to know that he was susceptible just the same.

Punk felt a hand settle on his shoulder and turned to face John's Dad.

"So, how about we go into my den and I'll lecture you about preserving my son's virtue while I clean a gun?"

"Dad, you don't own a gun," John said with exasperation.

"Well, they do it on TV all the time."

"And how does that usually work out for them?"

"Their teenage daughters usually end up pregnant."

"What have you been watching?"

"Your mother loves her Lifetime for Women. I've learned if I want to continue to have use of my hands its best not to try to go for the remote."

Punk watched as the Cena wives made a space in the middle of them on the couch and waved him over. He realized his fear had been misplaced. It was the wives he should have really been afraid of.

"So how did you and John get together?"

Punk looked at John in panic. What was he going to say? I beat your brother for his Championship and then invited him over for sex through the use of a greeting card?

"Oh, you know, we work together, it just kind of happened naturally."

"Phil, just from first glance I think there probably wasn't anything natural about it. How about telling us the truth?"

"John busted into my hotel room in the middle of the night and started kissing me without any warning whatsoever. I thought he was there to kick my ass."

"John made the first move? How uncharacteristic of him. You must have…hidden depths."

Punk recognized the hungry looks on their faces. They wanted the dirty details. They were like Melina x 3.

"Do you even watch the show? Because if you did you would know that Phil here isn't hiding very much."

"Excuse me, ladies," and Punk walked across the room to where John's brothers were standing. He had to get out of there before he started spewing details of his and John's sex life through whatever enhanced interrogation techniques they might try to submit him to. He turned around and the women were all staring at him and whispering. He didn't care if John's brothers wanted to mangle his body with garden implements, he was far safer across the room with them.

"You look frightened," one of John's brothers said with a resigned tone.

"Don't worry; we wear that look every day of our lives."

"Come on, I want you to meet Sean. He had his treatment the day before yesterday and he's still a little weak," John said. They walked down the hallway and into a bedroom where John's brother was propped up by pillows reading "Watchmen."

"So you're the one that's holding my brother hostage."

"It's more like I can't be trusted to be by myself. You read comics?"

"I know I'm a little old for them."

"Are you kidding, you're never too old. It's all I read. Ever read Ed Brubaker's stuff?"

"No, but I've heard the name."

"He's excellent, you should check it out."

Punk looked back at John and could tell that he wanted some time with his brother. "It was nice to meet you," and Punk headed back to the living room.

Punk felt a tug on his hand and looked down to see one of the kids.

"Come play with us."

Punk let himself be led to an empty patch of carpet and saw that the kids were seated around a toy ring with a pile of action figures next to it.

"This one is you," and Punk was given an old action figure of his that was decorated haphazardly with markers.

"It's time for a match!"

Punk put his action figure in the ring and saw that he was being taken on by four different John Cena action figures. Poor, plastic CM Punk never stood a chance.

"Uncle John rules!"

"Yes he does." Punk looked up to find John staring at him with a soft smile on his face.

"What?"

"Nothing.

Punk ended up seated between John and his mother at the table. Regardless of all the crazy he had encountered in the Cena family with everyone seated around the table you could tell that they all actually liked each other. Punk wasn't used to such a loving family unit and it made him a little sad because of all the things that he had missed growing up. After breakfast had ended he and John needed to head to the airport to catch their flight. John's family waved goodbye and John's parents walked them to the door. John's Dad slapped him on the back and John's mother drew him in for a hug and whispered in his ear.

"Make an honest man of my son…soon," and Punk's mother stepped back with a sly smile on her face.

Once he and John entered the privacy of the rental car John turned to him and kissed him fiercely. Punk pushed him back.

"Your family is probably watching from the window."

"I don't care. They loved you. See, you had nothing to be worried about. You're officially a member of the Cena clan now."

Punk looked at John and waited for it to dawn on him exactly what he had said but John didn't seem to notice it. He would only be officially a member of the Cena clan when John put a ring on his finger and he realized that's exactly what he wanted.

**March 12, 2012**

_Monday Night Raw_

"Please God tell me that I'm seeing things and you are not seriously getting ready to go out there like that," Punk said when he caught sight of John's clothing when he walked into the locker room after a useless conversation with a road agent in which he found out he was not scheduled for a match which meant that he could be summoned at any moment to face anyone on the roster than Clown Shoes saw fit. Punk felt like his eyes were burning when he took in the throwback jersey, the backwards hat and the padlock necklace. Punk walked closer to John so that they wouldn't be overheard.

"I'll give you anything you want, do anything you want, if you change into your normal attire."

"As promising as that proposition sounds I do have to go out there and rap."

"I don't care what you're going out there to do. I promise I'll never mock your monthly t-shirt redesigns again. I did not sign up to date the Doctor of Thuganomics."

"You know you love me."

"I love you, not your clothes. If you somehow manage to knock yourself out with that padlock I'm going to laugh my ass off."

Punk took a seat next to Kofi in the monitor bay to watch John possibly make an ass out of himself. Kofi didn't have a match but was there for possible backup in the case of any Laurinaitis/Long hostilities. Punk wanted to tell Kofi that he was crazy to get mixed up in all that mess but he understood the overwhelming urge to be involved in any amount of lunacy just to get to wrestle under the bright lights of WrestleMania. He himself had once dressed like a gangster and stood on the side of John's car. It wasn't his finest moment but it was WrestleMania all the same.

The signature cut on and John's old music cued up. He really was going all out with this, he hoped, temporary personality shift. The first thing that hit him when John came through the curtain was how young John looked, even though quite a few years had passed since John had adopted this particular persona. While Punk had to admit that John had his moments out there tearing the Rock apart through rhyme he noticed that it only lasted for a few minutes while he knew that Rock would probably be out there for half the show. Punk watched the hallway and John didn't keep walking toward the locker room to change but took the seat next to him in all his faux gangster glory.

"Don't think I wasn't watching you out there. You did almost knock yourself out with your padlocked accessory," Punk said with a smile.

"If you have any memory of the recent past you would remember that this padlock has made contact with quite a few heads. Unless you want to be padlocked to the bedpost tonight you'll ease up with the jokes. I think the Rock probably has that covered tonight."

"While I'm not averse to being restrained in all sorts of interesting ways I think actual chains might be pushing it. I'll try to refrain from making fun or at least I'll only do it in my head or talk very quietly so that only Kofi can hear me."

"You're impossible."

The Long vs. Laurinaitis feud again degenerated into complete foolishness. He just shook his head as Kofi ran out to make the save only to be laid out by Henry and Otunga for his troubles.

"I apologize for mocking the padlock. I should have just asked to borrow it and chain Kofi to the chair to prevent him from being part of this clusterfuck," Punk said to John, toying with the hardware around his neck. "Even if he got away at least he would have a chair with him to take to the ring."

The only upside to the shenanigans was Laurinaitis again being laid out on his ass by Long, toppling him into the announcers.

Punk started laughing after Laurinaitis announced that he would be facing the Miz with the stipulation that if the Miz beat him he would get a spot on Team Johnny.

"I'm going out there and I'm going to throw the match. Laurinaitis needs as many talentless losers on his team as possible."

"You do that and you'll have the Miz coming out every week and demanding a title match."

"No he won't. Jericho will knock him unconscious before he even gets to the curtain. Jericho couldn't bear to share the spotlight with anyone."

"Do you really want to pull a move made famous by Kevin Nash and Hulk Hogan in WCW?"

"You have a point there. I guess I'll just have to go out there and kick Miz's ass though I really don't want to."

The appearance of Shawn and the Undertaker quieted the room down as it usually did when such revered veterans of the business appeared in the ring. Sure, he and Hunter were friends of a sort but he was taking on the Undertaker whose exploits were legendary. At the end of it all Hunter showed up on the ramp and briefly locked eyes with Shawn. He couldn't tell if they were allies or not.

Punk got up and made his way to the arena entrance to face Miz. It didn't take Punk long to put away Miz with the Anaconda Vise. He thought that Miz owed him a thank you letter for preventing him from being caught up in this GM mess. He was celebrating his win when Jericho showed up on the Tron.

It sounded like every other argument Jericho made until he declared him a fraud as a person. It felt like he had been punched in the stomach when Jericho announced to the entire WWE Universe that his father was an alcoholic. He just stared at the screen in shock as Jericho went on revealing some of his darkest childhood memories for everyone to hear. He shut his eyes as if that could make this all end, the Championship slipping from his fingers and landing on the mat. Punk knew Jericho was a nasty piece of work but he had never sunk to this level before, gleefully demolishing the armor Punk had armed himself with all his life. Jericho had given voice to his most deep seated nightmare. The Tron cut off and Punk had to force himself to pick up the belt from the mat. Was having the Championship worth the emotional devastation Jericho had just caused?

He walked up the ramp slowly, unsure if enduring the scrutiny of the crowd or facing the roster was worse. He cleared the curtain to find John waiting for him and Hunter standing off to the side, not even looking him in the eye.

"Jericho's not here tonight. There's a private locker room a few doors down from my office," and Hunter walked away without ever addressing Punk directly. John grabbed his hand and led him down the hallway until they reached the locker room. John locked the door behind them and Punk sank onto the bench, the Championship slipping from his grasp and clattering to the floor.

"He wasn't lying, everything he said was the truth," Punk said quietly, staring at the floor, unwilling to look John in the eye, afraid of what he might see there. "Is this fucking thing worth so much that he would rip my life apart just to have it," Punk said, kicking the belt and sending it skittering across the floor.

John got on his knees in front of Punk and sunk his fingers into Punk's hair forcing Punk to look him in the eye.

"I know my childhood isn't exactly a secret. Anyone who was a fan of Ring of Honor or knew what to look for on the internet already knows about my Dad, but that was so long ago. I was young and angry and it felt liberating to get all that pain out into the open but I had moved beyond it, put it behind me, and here Jericho comes flaunting it in front of a million people."

"Phil, listen to me…"

"No! I will not listen to you. You don't have any clue what it's like to go through your life with memories like this haunting you. How could you? I've seen what your family is like, remember? You don't have the slightest notion what this is like for me," Punk yelled, pulling the padlock and chain from John's neck and sending it flying across the room, shattering the mirror on the wall. Punk jumped from his seat and punched what was left of the mirror until the fight was drained out of him.

"Fucking hell, Phil," John said, taking hold of Punk's hand and looking at the mess of bloody gauze that was left on his right hand. John quickly unwrapped Punk's other wrist and wrapped it around his fist to stop the bleeding. "We're going to have to go get this looked at."

"No!"

"Don't no me Philip Brooks," John said loudly, slinging the forgotten Championship belt over one shoulder and leading Punk with his good hand to the trainer's room. Punk sat on the table, John sitting next to him, curling his hand around Punk's bare knee while the trainer picked out a few shards of glass and butterflied the lacerations shut.

"We can leave. We can get our things and catch the next flight out of here to Tampa. Hunter could get us out of the house shows."

"I am not going to look weak. I am not going to let Jericho rob me of all the credibility it's taken me years to build up."

"Fine. Tape his wrists back up," John ordered the trainer who obeyed without question.

When Punk's wrists were wrapped back up John grabbed a marker and redrew the X's back over Punk's fists. They walked back to the monitor bay and just as it was just around the corner Punk stopped and took a few deep breaths and squeezed John's hand. Punk let go and waltzed into the monitor bay, taking a seat in the front row in full view of the entire roster. Punk could hear them whispering behind his back but Punk just stared straight ahead at the monitor even though he was processing none of it.

Nothing was really registering until the Rock came out. He leaned over to look at John's phone; he was going to have to sit through 20 minutes of this. Punk realized it was going to be truly unbearable when it became clear that the Rock only knew the basic fingering for a few bars of "Jailhouse Rock" that he played over and over again and all the Rock's clever barbs just ran together into a white noise.

* * *

><p>John kept one ear on the Rock but the majority of his attention was on Punk who seemed to be somewhere trapped in his own head. John tried to get Punk's attention by filling the void with the clever commentary that Punk usually supplied.<p>

"Did Dwayne just compare me to Vanilla Ice and the Teletubbies? What decade does he think we're living in?"

"Is he actually working from notes on that music stand? If he's that rusty doing promos what is he going to be like in the ring?"

"My Mom would never have sex with Dwayne, she has standards and I'm pretty sure he's picked up some form of VD with all the sex he brags about having."

"He doesn't have the slightest clue what the words are to "We Will Rock You," and the words are running across the screen with a little bouncing ball."

They made their way back to the locker room to get their things and headed to the hotel. Punk walked straight into the bathroom and John heard the shower cut on. He desperately wanted to join Punk in the shower to make sure he was okay but John knew Punk needed some time alone. If John pushed too hard Punk would withdraw completely as he tended to do in times of emotional stress. John stripped down to his boxers and packed away the clothes that Punk had found so hilarious earlier in the night. He dug through his things until he found the sewing kit he had taken from one of the hotels they had stayed in. He held the cardboard square in his hand for a few moments before stowing it back in his suitcase.

John took a seat on the bed and waited for Punk to come out of the bathroom. He was starting to get worried as the minutes ticked by. Punk eventually emerged with a towel wrapped around his waist and pulled on a pair of boxers from his bag. He laid on the bed with his back to John.

"Can you turn off the lamp please?"

John obeyed and plunged the room into darkness. He laid down beside Punk on the bed but did not move to touch him. He was at a loss as to what to do in this situation. Minutes passed and John's worry increased until Punk reached behind him and pulled John's arm around him, pulling John's body flush against his own. If John couldn't find the words to make this better at least he could do this.


	27. Chapter 27

John awoke to the sound of Punk's phone going off. He was still wrapped around Punk in the same way they had fallen asleep. He heard Punk pick up the phone, the ringing silenced, and then set it back on the bedside table. This happened two more times until the phone stopped ringing but John could still hear it vibrating on the table.

"Maybe you should answer that, whoever is calling seems very insistent."

"Mothers can be that way."

"After what happened last night I'm not surprised. She's probably really worried about you, you should answer her."

"If you think it's so important you talk to her," Punk said, picking up his phone and tossing it over his shoulder in John's general direction. Punk's mood seemed to have shifted from silent and withdrawn to sullen and slightly hostile. John didn't know if he should just let Punk be or put himself in Punk's line of fire and insist that Punk speak to his mother.

The phone began to vibrate again and John answered it, putting it on speaker phone.

"Hi, it's John. Phil's right next to me." Punk tried to get up but John held on to him, keeping him anchored to the bed.

"Philip, we need to talk."

"Isn't that exactly what we're doing right now?" Punk said nastily.

"Considering what happened last night I'm going to ignore the tone of that response. You need to come to Chicago."

"I can't. I have house show commitments," John just shook his head because they did not have any house shows until the 17th in Montreal.

"Nice try but I checked the WWE website you don't have any house shows."

"Then why did you ask."

"To see what you would say and if you're bold faced lying to your mother then you obviously need to get your ass on a plane ASAP."

"We'll take the next flight out," John said, after Punk had been silent for an extended period of time.

"I'll see you two then," and Punk's Mom disconnected then call.

"Thank you so fucking much for that."

John could feel his temperature rising at Punk's hostile response. He had given Punk his space but this was the end of enough.

"I left you alone last night but don't take your anger out on me. Jericho is a vindictive jerk who went way, way over the line last night. I can't be here for you unless you let me in so stop living up to your nickname and talk to me."

"I talked to you last night."

"Yeah, because you were too shocked to go to your usual defense mechanism so you kicked your belt across the room and took out a mirror and fucked up your hand. You're going to need that hand when you see Jericho next if I know you at all. You need to go to Chicago and talk to your Mom."

"Fine."

John arranged the flight to Chicago for him and Punk. Punk kept silent through the entire flight but John didn't try to get Punk to talk to him. A plane was not the place to risk Punk letting loose his anger and he had agreed to come to Chicago so that at least was something. They took a cab to Punk's Mom's house but Punk just stared at the door. John reached across him and opened the cab door.

"We're here, no avoiding it now, go."

"Aren't you coming in?"

"This is probably a conversation that you need to have with you Mom alone. I'll be waiting for you at the apartment."

John was surprised when Punk leaned over and kissed him briefly and left the cab. John watched as Punk walked to the front door and saw it open and Punk's Mom gave him a hug. He gave their address to the cab driver and left Punk to it.

"I'm glad you came."

"You wanted to talk, so let's talk."

"I know I can't fix this situation. I actually wanted you to come so that I can give you this," and she walked over to the bookcase, removed a book and took out an envelope that was pressed between the pages. She handed it over to Punk. Although it had been more than a decade he recognized the handwriting.

"What is this?"

"The 9th step is making amends. You were too young when he gave this to me when he was in rehab and then after you got older I didn't think you would be very receptive to it, but that vicious little shit has brought this all to a head so I think it's time you read this."

"I don't want to read anything that asshole has to say."

"You may not want to but I think it's time. I'm not going to demand you sit here and read it right now, just promise me that you'll read it and not just tear it up. Promise me."

"I promise. I'm going to go now. I'll bring John by before we leave."

"I love you Philip, remember that."

"Love you too, Mom."

* * *

><p>John arrived at the apartment and collapsed on the couch. He was really worried about what kind of mood Punk was going to be in when he came home. He hoped Punk didn't let out his frustrations on his Mom. He just lay on the couch for a while staring at the ceiling when there was a knock on the door. He answered the door to see two young women standing there with pizza boxes and a few six packs of soda.<p>

"Punk's not here."

"We know that silly. Mom called to say that Phil just left the house but to tell you not to expect him home anytime soon so we came to keep you company," one of the girls told John as they walked past him into the apartment.

"So you're the elusive sisters."

"I'm Shaleen, this is Cassie."

"Hi."

"We've wanted to meet you for a while but Punk seems to like to keep you under lock and key."

"Not that we blame him. If you want any of this awesome Chicago-style pizza you're going to have to take your shirt off."

"Chill, Cass."

"No, seriously, what did Phil ever do to deserve this?" Cassie said, gesturing in John's general direction.

"Be born with a penis, so give it up."

"So how is Phil doing?"

"He's been better."

"What I wouldn't do to get my hands on Jericho," Shaleen said. John recognized the vindictive look on her face that he had seen on Punk's many times.

"Who is Jericho to be talking about being an alcoholic anyway? Dad might have been a horrible father but he never got arrested for public drunkenness. He's lucky Punk is professional enough not to throw Jericho's own fuck-up's right back in his face. If I didn't know that Punk is going to make him pay for it I'd show up ringside with a sign with his mug shot on it."

John knew that science said alcoholism was genetic but it also appeared that holding a grudge and having a taste for revenge was also in the Brooks genetic code.

"So what's Kofi Kingston like?"

"Excuse Cass, she's got a fangirl crush."

"You should ask Phil for an introduction then, they're close friends."

"Really? It's amazing how much one speech can change a person. It's like disinfectant for the soul. First you, now Kofi Kingston? We were worried for a while there that he had completely lost his mind. We kept our distance for a while because there was no way in hell that we were shaving our heads, no matter how much we love the guy."

John heard a key turning in the lock and Punk walked in soaked in his own sweat with Colt following behind him.

"Look who I found in the gym. Hi, we've never met officially, I'm Colt."

John reached out to shake Colt's hand and caught sight of Punk's sisters who were staring Punk down. He looked over to his boyfriend and watched him set his keys and a crumpled up envelope on the table by the door. Punk's sisters exchanged a worried glance and quickly averted their eyes before Punk could catch them staring.

"I'm going to shower real quick, save me some of the veg."

"No promises," Colt called after him.

John moved to get up and follow him but Punk waved him away and walked into their bedroom.

They all stared after Punk and were silent until they heard the shower cut on.

"I thought he was going to pound his way through the conveyor belt on the treadmill. Whatever Punk does to Jericho he deserves."

"It's not just that," Shaleen said quietly.

John turned to her but she wasn't forthcoming with any more details.

Punk returned from the shower, his mood extremely subdued. Punk's sisters plied him with pizza and Pepsi and didn't push for anything more than Punk was willing to share. Punk seemed to relax a little. They settled in to watch a UFC rerun on TV which led to Punk demonstrating submission moves on Colt. He was glad this was one hobby of Punk's that he had never asked to John to participate in. He had seen modifications of some of these moves when Punk was in the ring, especially when he wanted to make someone pay, like Ziggler and Hardy. Punk had put him in some creative submission moves when they had been facing each other in the ring, but at the time he had found them more seductive than painful. After the show was over Colt said his goodbyes, shaking John's hand as he left. Shaleen and Cassie left not long after, Shaleen hugging him in the doorway.

"Take care of him, okay? He's going to need it."

John just nodded his head and closed the door behind them.

"Let's go to bed," Punk said, grabbing the crumpled envelope and making his way to the bedroom. They both stripped down to their boxers and got in bed, Punk laying his head on John's chest and handing him the envelope.

"Read it to me, please."

John opened the sealed envelope and his eyes flicked down to the signature and then the date. John breathed in deeply and read.

_Dear Phil,_

_I know you are too young to read this letter now, or if you'll ever read it, but I need to try to apologize to you any way I can. I know that I put you and our family through hell and I wish I could get those years back but I know I can't change the past. No father wants to live with the fact that they ruined their son's childhood but that is exactly what I did. No child should have to live in fear of their own father._

John paused when he started to feel Punk's tears wet his chest.

"Keep reading," Punk choked out, grabbing the dog tags around John's neck and gripping them tightly.

_Being here in rehab and truly sober for the first time in a decade I can see the things that I've done clearly and I'm horrified by it. Being in here I've accepted that I'm an alcoholic and will be for the rest of my life. I hope that I will be able to never drink again and try to make amends to the people around me whose lives I destroyed with my drinking. I know I have no right to ask for it but I hope one day that you can forgive me for everything I've put you through._

_Love_

_Dad_

John held Punk tightly as he started to sob against his chest. His heart broke as he listened to Punk cry himself to sleep.

John woke to find Punk playing with his dog tags with a somber look on his face, his eyes red-rimmed and swollen.

"When did you change these?" Punk asked, reading the list of John's family's names on the tags with his own added to the bottom.

"When we broke up. I wanted to keep you close to my heart."

"That's sickeningly romantic…but sweet. I love you," Punk said, leaning up to kiss John deeply. John let Punk control the kiss, wanting to give Punk anything he asked of him. Punk broke off the kiss and laid his head back on his chest. John remained silent, waiting for Punk to bring up the heart-wrenching letter he had read last night.

"What do you think I should do?"

"Phil, you know I can't answer that for you."

"I want to hate him. If there's anything in my life that I always knew would be constant is my hate for that man. With the letter and everything that's happened I don't know how to respond. I always despised him for not having the guts to apologize to me but I guess he was just waiting for me to make the first move. I'm not sure if I can make it."

Remaining silent was killing John but he knew he had to let Punk get there on his own.

"Do you think I should call him?"

"If that's what you want."

"John. I'm asking for your opinion here."

"You don't have to forgive him but you could let him have the chance to apologize to you face-to-face. Screw how he feels about it but I think it might make you feel better."

"Cass talks to him from time to time. I think I'll call her and ask for his number."

John listened as Punk made the call to Cass and then held his phone in his hands and didn't say a word for what seemed like an hour. John held his breath as Punk dialed the number, not sure if Punk wouldn't just end the call the second he heard his father's voice.

"It's Phil...I read your letter…Yes, I'm in town…I can do that. Where?...I'll see you at noon," Punk hung up the phone and sat there, breathing deeply with his eyes closed.

"You're coming with me, right?"

"Phil, I don't know…"

"I'm not going if you're not with me. I won't be able to have that conversation without you next to me."

"Whatever you want, I'll do it."

The time for the meeting finally rolled around and they walked to a coffee place close by. John immediately found Punk's father sitting at a table outside. Punk looked just like him.

"Phil, I'm so glad you came. Introduce me to your friend?"

"I'm John. I'm Phil's…"

"I know. Cass told me. I'm happy to meet you. Why don't you two take a seat? Do you want anything?"

"Nothing for me."

Punk was turning down caffeine? That did not bode well for this conversation.

"I see you on TV every week but it's not the same as seeing you in person."

"You watch?"

"Of course. I miss you; I'll take whatever I can get."

"I don't know what you expect…"

"I'm not expecting anything from this conversation. I know you won't just forgive me out of the blue. Why would you? I just wanted to see you and hope that we might be able to talk or see each other once in a while. Whatever you're comfortable with. There's just something I have to say and I hope you'll give me the chance…

John sat there silent and still as a statue, not wanting to make any impact on the conversation. He watched as Punk nodded at his father.

"I want to apologize to you for hurting you and forcing you to see and deal with things that no child should. I know I took something away from you that you can never get back and I'm so sorry for that. I hope one day that you can forgive me."

John felt Punk squeeze his hand under the table tightly before responding.

"I can't make any promises but I'll try."

"That's all I can ask for."

"John and I have to get going," Punk said, standing up and John following after him. Punk's father stood up and moved quickly, hugging Punk with Punk's arms hanging limply by his sides. Punk's father pulled back and quickly wiped his eyes.

"When you see that smart mouthed jackass Jericho next, give him a punch in the mouth for me."

"That I can promise," and Punk made his way down the street with John by his side.

Their hands kept brushing against each other's while they walked. John desperately wished he could clasp Punk's hand in his, knowing Punk needed it after that conversation but knowing they were in public and could now show any displays of affection. They finally made it back to the apartment and Punk was in John's arms immediately.

"Do you feel any better?"

"I don't know, it's too soon I think," Punk said, leading John over to the couch and following John down, lying curled up in his arms for most of the afternoon, talking quietly.

_AN: This is a short chapter but I think it says a lot more than a word count can judge. It was difficult and painful subject matter but it practically wrote itself. Although I still love writing this story I sense that interest is waning and maybe it's time to bring this epic to an end. Tell me what you honestly think, review or PM if you prefer._


	28. Chapter 28

**March 18, 2012**

After meeting Punk's father John could tell that it was weighing on his mind. Punk's mood was subdued but not in the same way as when he was purposely being withdrawn. John didn't push Punk for more than he was willing to give because he knew that whatever conclusion Punk drew from the meeting with his father, Punk had to get there on his own. His mood changed abruptly when they arrived in Montreal for the house show. Jericho was absent and Punk scowled his way through his match with Ziggler and got into a war of words with a fan holding an anti-Punk sign. Jericho was again absent in Rhode Island and Punk's anger was completely let loose with Ziggler paying the price.

The last show before Raw was at Madison Square Garden. Jericho was on the card but he was definitely playing least in sight. Punk was scheduled for a six man tag with Hunter and Randy vs. Jericho, Ziggler and Cody Rhodes. The only plan Punk seemed to have in mind was ripping Jericho limb from limb. He was lucky that Randy and Hunter came to the ring with something more refined. Randy and Hunter would ignore Punk's outstretched hand when Ziggler and Rhodes were in the ring but the second Jericho was tagged in Punk got the immediate tag. Jericho, obviously aware that he had pushed Punk to the edge would immediately tag in one of his partners, even if their hands were not outstretched or their back was to the ring. This process kept repeating itself, the closest Punk ever got to Jericho was getting his hands around one ankle and trying to drag him to the middle of the ring. Jericho got loose and tagged out but this seemed to be the last straw for his partners who just shook their head derisively and abandoned him to Punk, Hunter and Randy. Jericho was in the middle of the ring with all three men surrounding it. Jericho would try for the unmanned gaps but the men outside the ring moved quickly to keep him trapped. In the end Jericho was the recipient of the Pedigree, the RKO and the GTS to the delight of the fans and Punk.

**March 19, 2012**

_Monday Night Raw_

Punk rushed into the emergency room after Hunter had called to tell him that John had been in a car accident on the way to the arena after a media appearance. He ran to the reception desk.

"I'm here for John Cena, please tell me he's alright. Where is he?" Punk said, his strained voice and the tears welling in his eyes betraying his intense worry.

"Are you a family member?"

"I'm his boyfriend."

"I'm sorry. I can't allow you to see him or give you information about his condition if you're not a family member."

"I am family."

"Not according to the law you're not," the woman told Punk with a nasty tone of voice and a pronounced eye roll.

"Listen to me you homophobic bitch! You will tell me where he is or I swear…"

"Punk, calm down."

Punk whipped around to find Hunter, holding a sheath of papers in his hand.

"Excuse me. John Cena is an employee of the WWE and we have medical power of attorney."

"I'll call the hospital administrator to review these, please take a seat."

"Punk, come sit down."

Hunter managed to drag Punk to the waiting area but he would not sit, choosing to pace the room like a caged animal. After half an hour had passed Punk was considering just making a break for the doors leading to the emergency room, fuck the rules. The hospital administrator finally entered the room and walked straight to Hunter and began speaking, completely ignoring Punk.

"I've reviewed the forms and they seem to be in order. If we can step over there I can give you Mr. Cena's current status."

Hunter walked to the edge of the waiting room with Punk following.

"I'm sorry, but he can't be here," the administrator said, not even bothering to glance at Punk who was shaking uncontrollably.

"I don't know who you think you are but those papers say that I have the legal right to make decisions on John's behalf and if I say he can stay he can. Don't make me get our lawyers on the phone, you won't like it, I promise you."

"Fine. Mr. Cena is stable. I'll let the ER physician update you on his current condition."

"Can we see him?"

The administrator again gave Punk a derisive glance but escorted him and Hunter to the curtained off area where John was sitting on the edge of the bed in a smock.

"John!" Punk ran to him, hugging him tightly and sobbing into his shoulder.

"Punk! He was just in an accident, control yourself."

Punk started to pull away but John locked his arms around Punk, running his fingers through Punk's hair.

"Phil, I'm fine. Everything's okay, I promise," John said, looking questioningly at Hunter over Punk's shoulder.

"They wouldn't let him know how you were doing or let him see you because he's not family."

"They're a bunch of homophobic jerks. We are family, aren't we?"

"Of course we are, sweetheart. I never thought to get my power of attorney changed. I promise I'll put you on as soon as possible in case something like this ever happens again."

The doctor entered. "I see you have visitors. Is it alright to discuss your condition with them in the room?"

"This is my boss and my boyfriend; you can say anything in front of them."

"It was a minor accident and you show no signs of injury. You might feel a little sore tomorrow and may suffer from some minor whiplash at the most. You're free to go."

"I'm a wrestler. Am I medically cleared to wrestle tonight?"

"There's nothing obviously wrong with you but I would suggest that you take it easy for the night."

"Good luck with that," Punk said, knowing there wasn't much that would keep John out of the ring.

"I'll give you guys a ride to the arena, I'll be in the waiting room," Hunter said, leaving them alone so that John could get dressed.

Punk stayed on the bed while John pulled his clothes back on, putting his head between his knees, hoping his heart would stop racing like it had been since he had got the call.

"Phil, look at me."

"I was so worried, you have no idea…"

"I promise that I won't let anything like this ever happen again as long as you promise to come to my lawyer's office with me and make me one of your contacts for your medical power of attorney. I'm surprised the hospital staff didn't find themselves on the wrong end of a kick to the head. I'm not sure I would have been able to show the same restraint if something happened to you."

They walked out of the emergency room, Punk clutching John's hand, damn the consequences of them being seen in public together. Punk could see Hunter stare at their clasped hands worriedly but led them into the parking lot without comment. Hunter taking the front seat next to his driver with Punk and John in the backseat.

"Listen. We don't usually allow it except for special circumstances but I'll set aside a private locker room for you two for the night."

"Thanks Hunter," John said, hugging Punk close to him.

"I've seen the card for the night and you're scheduled to wrestle Henry tonight John. I can make Laurinaitis cancel…"

"Don't cancel the match. I feel fine and the last thing I need is the Rock taking shots at me for not showing up for Raw so close to WrestleMania."

"Not that you need anything else to worry about, Punk, but Jericho has apparently learned his lesson at Madison Square Garden and declined to show up for Raw tonight."

"I don't think Jericho is capable of learning anything. I could rip his arm off and beat him with it and he would still find a way to torture me mentally. Maybe I could just punch him hard enough so that he needs his jaw wired shut. Fuck, who am I kidding, he would probably show up wearing a sandwich board proclaiming he is the best in the world at everything he does."

"Even though Jericho seems to have elected to grace us with his silence tonight doesn't mean that you have to," Hunter said with a smirk. "There's going to be a big empty ring out there with a selection of mics at your disposal."

"I don't need to go out there and defend myself because Jericho didn't say anything that isn't true but there are a few things I'd like to say to the best in the world at running his mouth off. Jericho has seriously overplayed his hand in life and the sooner he knows that the better."

They arrived at the arena and Hunter escorted them to an empty locker room and left them to it. The room had a couch and its own feed of the show.

"Lay down."

"I'm fine."

"Lay down for me, please."

"Since you asked so nicely I will obey. Are you going to lay down with me?" John asked with a playful smile.

"That defeats the purpose of you lying down and resting doesn't it?"

"I promise to keep my hands in PG-13 locations."

"Good boy. I'll hold you to your promise of keeping it at a conservative 2nd base after I get back from the ring."

John watched as Punk entered the arena to hijack the show, walking to the ring with a purposeful stride and immediately called for a mic. Punk started off with his typical scathing tone but when Punk mentioned his father Punk was silent for a few moments, John knowing that whatever Punk was getting ready to say was going to be difficult for him. Punk immediately owned up to the fact that his father was indeed an alcoholic and while it wasn't a secret Jericho had no right to announce to the world something that was that private.

Punk proceeded to give a heartfelt speech, deriding Jericho for making light of a subject that touched the lives of so many, especially reaching out to the children that were living with the same problem that had haunted his childhood. Punk made it clear that he was out for Jericho's blood at WrestleMania. John was shocked when Punk defended his father, telling the world that he had overcome his alcoholism. When Punk said he was proud of his father John found himself choked up and knew that the man he had met in that coffee shop was probably in tears right now. It might not be an outright statement of forgiveness but John knew that it would mean the world to Punk's father. Jericho's attempt at mental assassination might have set Punk back on his heels but Punk had turned it back on Jericho. John wanted to meet Punk at the arena entrance because he knew that Punk would probably be emotional, but he had also promised not to move from the couch. John stood to meet Punk at the entrance but collapsed back in his seat when Jericho's voice echoed through the arena. No one knew more than him how frustrating a satellite video could be and this one was sure to push Punk even farther over the edge emotionally if that was even possible.

Jericho gave a completely insincere apology to Punk for bringing his father up but turned right around and accused Punk's sister of being a drug addict. He didn't know what sister Jericho was referring to but even if what Jericho was saying had been true at some point; he had met these women and knew that Jericho was talking out his ass to try to make a second pass at embarrassing Punk in front on the WWE Universe. Punk showed no sign of embarrassment, he was incensed. Did Jericho have any clue what he was setting loose in persecuting Punk like this? John was not surprised in the slightest when Punk let loose a string of profanities. They might be bleeping out his words for television but it came through without disguise to the monitor feed. He was pretty sure yelling 'Fuck You' was far past the PG rating.

John wanted to rush to the arena entrance but stopped when Punk's phone started going off. He didn't answer it considering that he didn't know all the circumstances around what Jericho said but the screen showed a revolving series of calls from his Mom and both his sisters. The door flew open and Punk looked ready to kill.

"It's a fucking lie. My sisters have never been drug addicts. It's one thing to out a private family matter to the world but it's something else to start lying though his teeth just because he wants a fucking belt. The next time I see him he's going to get exactly that. I'm going to bash his head in with this gaudy monstrosity."

John braced for things getting tossed around, holes punched in the wall, or any number of ways Punk might physically display his anger. John was surprised when Punk climbed on top of him, spreading his legs and lying between them, laying his head on his chest and clutching his dog tags so tightly that he could see his hand turning a stark white from the pressure. John wrapped his arms around Punk and tried to soothe him by running his fingers through Punk's hair and rubbing circles over the bare patch of skin on his lower back. Punk's breathing eventually slowed and his body relaxed. John was surprised when Punk took the calls from his sisters and his Mom and managed not to completely lose his temper although complete carnage was assured for when Jericho eventually showed his face again.

"Do you want to take a walk to the monitor bay?" John asked, knowing Punk's hatred of appearing weak or affected by the words that Jericho spewed.

"Fuck what they think about me, I'm staying here."

They watched the show with a minimum amount of attention, except when Laurinaitis got his precious phone destroyed and got slapped across the face by Long and Daniel's 5 minute decimation of Ryder.

The Rock again showed up with an obviously well rehearsed taped promo in front of the famous Philadelphia Rocky statue.

"Why is he wearing sunglasses in the middle of the night? He probably can barely see his cue cards," Punk joked. "We have to sit though 13 more days of this shit? At least the Rock is threatening to show up at least."

"Thank you so much for looking forward to my adversary showing up and doing God knows what to me."

"He doesn't seem to want to lay a hand on you until WrestleMania so you'll probably just have to deal with another 30 minute diatribe."

"It's almost time for my match."

"Yes, your match with Mark fucking Henry after you got into a car accident. Brilliant idea. Don't say I didn't warn you tomorrow when you can't move. I won't be there to tend to your pain wrecked body; I've got a Smackdown taping tomorrow."

"I'm going home to Tampa for a few days before the house show on the 23rd. You can meet me there after the taping. The next house show is in Florida after all. Have you looked at the schedule for the week?"

"No. I just go where they tell me."

"We're going back to Puerto Rico, last time we were there…"

"I remember clearly what happened the last time we were there. You may have to refrain from covering me in syrup and treating me like a breakfast buffet. I think people might be suspicious if I was covered in purple blotches and smelled like a blueberry."

"That's not the only thing."

"If you want to celebrate the first time we had sex by having yet more sex I'm all for it though I don't think we really need prompting to screw each other silly."

"Now all I can think about is fucking you."

"Well I'm sure one look at Mark Henry will chill your libido considerably."

Punk watched as John took on Henry. Henry put a hell of a hurt on John and Punk was sure John would be sore as hell the next day. John managed to AA Henry and got the win and then the Rock ran out and hit Henry with the Rock Bottom and stared John down. The Rock said he was coming to send John a message earlier but Punk wasn't quite clear what it was. I have a finishing maneuver too? I can also pick up Mark Henry? John seemed as confused as he was.

John walked back to his and Punk's locker room and opened the door, "You were wrong Henry and the Rock did nothing to chill…fuck me…" John forced out at the sight of Punk lying on his stomach on the couch in nothing but his kick pads. John hurriedly reached behind him and locked the door.

"Anyone could have walked in that door."

"Then they would have gotten quite a show."

"I thought I was hurt and supposed to be resting."

"You seemed fine out there in the ring. Are you declining my invitation?" Punk said, getting up from the couch and strolling seductively over to John and pressed his body to John's, licking the tendon of John's neck.

"You taste so sweet," Punk murmured against his neck, grabbing hold of John's biceps and leading him back to the couch, pushing him down onto his back and straddling him.

"You're hurt. Just lay back and let me do all the work," Punk said, smiling wickedly at John while he stripped him of his clothes.

"What did I do to deserve this? Tell me so I can make sure to do it everyday."

"If you make me fear for your safety on a daily basis I'm going to be the one hurting you. Open up," Punk said, tracing two of his fingers over John's bottom lip. John opened his mouth, sucking Punk's fingers and coating them with saliva. Punk slid his wet fingers out of John's mouth and John watched transfixed as Punk reached between his legs and slid his fingers inside himself. Punk's eyes fell closed as he began to roll his hips, moaning when he found the sensitive bundle of nerves. John hoped he would be able to hold out until he was inside Punk but watching Punk get himself off was frequently visited fantasy material. He feasted on the sight of Punk writhing on top of him, fingers buried deep inside himself until the ache to be inside him became completely unbearable.

"Please Phil, I need to be inside of you, ride me, please…"

"Are you going to keep yourself out of life threatening danger?"

"I'll leave the house wrapped in bubble wrap, please…"

Punk removed his fingers, resting his weight on his hands spread over John's chest and lowered himself down, John's cock sliding into the tight heat of his channel, his muscles tightening around John's arousal. Punk lifted up John's hands and rested them on his hips.

"Show me what you want."

John's fingers clenched around Punk's hips, his thumbs tracing Punk's pronounced hip bones and guided Punk up and down his cock, keeping the movement slow and deep, staring into Punk's eyes. Punk smiled down at him heatedly and John felt Punk's hips swerve, the muscles clamping down even tighter.

"Fucking hell…"

"Something new. You like?"

"Don't you dare stop, tell me when…"

"Fuck, John, right there…" Punk's teeth sunk into his bottom lip, his eyes fluttering closed. He could feel Punk's hips straining against his hands. John guided Punk's hips to a faster pace, his gaze drawn to Punk's hand, stroking himself rapidly. Watching Punk get himself off was too enticing and he felt the heat start to pool in his belly, his abs contracting at every stroke. He pulled Punk against him roughly, setting off his orgasm, coming deep inside Punk. John wrapped his hand around Punk's, his cock sliding between their clasped fingers, Punk coming on his stomach. Punk rocked back on his knees, his softened cock sliding out of Punk. John could feel himself try to harden again as he watched Punk lick his stomach clean of his come. He leaned up to kiss John thoroughly. Punk had not swallowed and the kiss was wet and slick and fucking hot as hell. Punk broke the kiss and draped his body over John's and tucked his head in the crook of his neck, brushing his lips softly over the skin.

"Promise they won't keep me away from you again."

"I promise. The papers will be waiting for you when you come home."

John's attention was caught by the sound of the monitor, watching as the feed was cut.

"Do you think we missed anything important?" Punk asked with laughter in his voice.

"I could care less. Private locker rooms are awesome."

"You're the WWE's golden boy and I'm the WWE Champion. We could throw our weight around, demand a new perk."

"And then we would never have a clue what was going on outside it. I could have forfeited to the Rock and would have no idea."

"I've got to catch the bus to the airport to make the flight to Newark for Smackdown." Punk reluctantly crawled off the couch. John turned on his side to watch Punk dig through his bag for his street clothes.

"Anything bad I ever said about your kick pads I take back. You in nothing but them is sexy as hell."

"I'll keep that in mind. You should too in case you get too lonely while I'm gone."

"Trust me; the sight is burned into my memory."

Punk pulled on his clothes and leaned over to give John a very thorough goodbye kiss.

"Come home soon."

"I'll be in Tampa before you can even miss me."

"I seriously doubt that."

"I haven't been naked in your pool in ages. I'll leave you with that thought," Punk tossed over his shoulder as he unlocked the door and entered the hallway, the door closing behind him.

John looked down at his fully aroused cock, having hardened at the mere thought of a naked and wet Punk pressed against the wall of his pool. 2 days were going to be torture.

_AN: As those who reviewed my last chapter are aware, I plan to continue this fic. The spring installment of this quadrilogy will be the last. I want to sincerely thank everyone who reviewed and let me know that this series is still being read and enjoyed. I'm still relatively new to the fanfic game and your reviews were just the restorer of my confidence that I was in desperate need of. Regarding this installment: I usually begin a new story with the change of seasons but have decided to continue this installment to its logical conclusion, WrestleMania. Thank you again to my reviewers and I hope you enjoy this update._


	29. Chapter 29

"Honey, I'm home!"

John met Punk in the doorway and moved to wrap his arms around Punk's neck but Punk pushed him back, John's expression showing his confusion.

"Woman! Aren't you supposed to meet me at the door with a martini?"

"There are two very large problems with that statement."

"Fine, a Pepsi then."

"You're in an interesting mood."

"Smackdown is a fucked up place. The road agents seemed extremely disappointed when Jericho didn't decide to drop in via satellite again. I'm pretty sure they think they didn't get their money's worth. Sheamus and I beat Daniel and Miz, nothing to write home about."

"Anything interesting happen?"

"I'm pretty sure we're going to be living under the Clown Shoes regime after WrestleMania. Long accepted Khali, Ryder and Hornswoggle as members of team Teddy. As much as I think of Kofi and Truth's skills, I don't think they can carry the team, especially when Laurinaitis is stacking the deck with former World Champions, however suspect their reigns might have been. Hope springs eternal though. I've got a serious question for you."

"Less talking, more kissing," John sighed into Punk's ear, trailing kisses from the base of Punk's neck, sucking gently on spot behind Punk's ear that usually assured silence or uncontrollable moaning.

"Nice try Johnny but for once I need a serious moment of your time."

"Fine. I'll keep my lips to myself for the time being."

"So Kofi, Truth and I were in the hotel room watching 'Mega Shark vs Crocosaurus'…"

"Wherever you're going to say can't be taken seriously after that statement."

"Shut it, you're in trouble here."

"I can't imagine what I managed to do when we were 1,000 miles away from each other."

"So back to 'Mega Shark vs. Crocosaurus'…"

"Every time you say that my respect for you badassness erodes."

"If you knew the trouble you were in…"

"Are you going to be withholding sex?"

"I'm not the one that deserves to be punished."

"Fine, what exactly did I do?"

"So this commercial comes on for a show called 'Dream Machines."

"Oh…that."

"Yes, that and the fact that you seemed to unilaterally decide to reveal our relationship to the world. What exactly is John Cena doing sporting a CM Punk t-shirt on national television?"

"I thought you liked it when I wear your shirts," John said suggestively, pinning Punk up against the door.

"It's like sexy lingerie, for my eyes only," Punk said unsteadily, his arms wrapping around John's waist, sneaking under his shirt to touch bare skin. "I'm very angry with you."

"Really? Because it doesn't seem like you're very angry," John said, unbuttoning and lowering the zipper on Punk's jeans, slipping his hand inside Punk's boxers and stroking his erection firmly.

"That doesn't count. My cock is not connected to my brain."

"Don't be mad, I thought you'd get a kick out of it."

"Okay, I'll admit that it was kind of nice to see my likeness stretched across your chest for the entire world to see."

"Am I forgiven?"

"Maybe if you showed me exactly how sorry you are?"

"That I can do," John said with a smile, pulling Punk's shirt over his head and pulling down his jeans and boxers as he sunk to his knees. John sucked the head of Punk's cock into his mouth, dipping his tongue in the slit to get a taste of the precome that had gathered there. John gripped the base of Punk's cock in his fist, stroking what was not in his mouth. John bobbed his head at a slow pace, only delivering the slightest amount of suction.

"This is the most insincere apology…"

John laughed at Punk's impatience, feeling Punk's hips thrust forward at the vibration, forcing himself deeper down John's throat. John resumed his slow pace, waiting to see how far he could push Punk before he came completely undone and Punk took what he wanted. John didn't have to wait long before Punk slapped away the hand John had circled around the base of Punk's hardness. Punk sunk his nails into the back of his neck, guiding John further down his shaft until John had to swallow, Punk's cock slipping all the way down his throat. Punk's hips began to thrust forward, his cock sliding between John's lips slickly.

"I love how you look on your knees. Your lips are so red and wet, stretched wide around me. Your mouth is so hot, fuck, you take me so deep I can feel my cock hitting the back of your throat. You fucking love letting me fuck your mouth, letting me do whatever I want to you. You're so fucking good, I should keep you on your knees all the time you love it so much. Your jaw must be aching. Suck me off, let me come all over your pretty face."

John moaned loudly at the words coming out of Punk's mouth. It was so possessive and dirty and John thought he might be able to get off just from the words coming out of Punk's mouth. John reached between Punk's legs, massaging Punk's balls. The other caressing Punk's firm ass, slipping between his cheeks and entering Punk's entrance roughly, crooking his fingers and searching out the bundle of nerves that would make Punk come completely undone.

"Fuck, yes, right there, don't you dare fucking stop, fucking hell…"

John could feel Punk's body clenching around his fingers. John pulled his mouth away from Punk's cock, his seed coating John's chin and lips. John eyes lifted to lock eyes with Punk. Punk moaned lustily, dropping to his knees and toppling them to the floor. Punk's tongue began to lathe John's face, kissing him deeply after John's face was clean and shiny with saliva.

"I didn't think you…"

"What? Do whatever you told me to do? I would do anything you asked me to do. Anything."

"You want to get wet?" Punk said lustily, pulling off John's clothes so quickly he could hear the seams straining in Punk's haste to get him naked. "I'll let you bend me over the steps, fuck me raw, take whatever you want from me, I'm yours."

John stood up with Punk wrapped around him, carrying him outside to the pool in haste, knocking into furniture and door jambs. He submerged them in the water; Punk rose to his knees, his hands braced against the steps in front of him. John gazed at Punk's wet body, his pert ass high in their air, begging to be taken hard.

"Fuck me John, I want to feel it for days."

John slammed into Punk roughly, grabbing hold of Punk's shoulders and jerking him back to meet his thrusts.

"Harder John, fuck me, fuck me…"

John pounded into Punk with abandon, twining one hand in Punk's wet hair, jerking his head back sharply.

"Oh fuck yes."

"God, Phil, I love you like this, say you love it."

"I fucking love it, fuck…"

"You're so fucking tight, I want to feel your ass swallow my fucking cock. Put your hand around your cock, I want to see you get yourself off, I know you're gagging for it."

John could hear when Punk took himself in hand, the wet slapping sound of flesh on flesh. He could feel Punk's walls start to clench around him.

"Are you close sweetheart, I want you to come with me."

"Faster…faster, fuck…"

John began to brutally drill into Punk.

"I'm coming, fucking hell…"

John thrust one last time into Punk, coming deep within Punk's gripping channel, stilling Punk's hips. Punk sat up and settled in John's lap, John's cock still deep in his ass. He turned his head, John meeting his lips, kissing him fiercely, John wrapping his arms around Punk's chest, keeping their bodies anchored together.

"God Phil, I fucking love you."

"I love you too. You are the best housewife in the world. Let's go upstairs, I'm not done with you yet, not by a long shot."

* * *

><p>"Wake up," John said, running his fingers softly down Punk's naked back, smiling at the marks dotting Punk's skin.<p>

"Why."

"We have an appointment this morning."

"Appointment for what?"

"I promised you a visit to my lawyer's office didn't I?"

"You're really going to trust me with your well-being."

"Of course. Get dressed let's go."

Punk and John got dressed and made their way to John's lawyer's office. They were immediately shown into the inner office. The lawyer placed a sheath of papers with at least twenty red plastic tabs sticking out the side.

"I don't know anything about the law but when I signed my medical power of attorney for the WWE there wasn't half as many tabs as this."

Punk watched as the lawyer locked eyes with John who nodded firmly.

"This isn't a medical power of attorney. It's part of the paperwork as well but it also includes adding you as a joint owner of the house, cars, investments, sole beneficiary of the life insurance policy and all remaining assets."

Punk looked over at John with a look of absolute shock on his face.

"You're basically signing your life over to me," Punk said with glassy eyes and a tremble in his voice.

"You're not going to take a hit out on me now are you?"

"Please, be serious."

"I love you and I trust you, just sign the documents."

"All I have is a co-op apartment and a checking account but you're welcome to half of it."

"If you get me your information I can draw up the documents for you."

Punk nodded and John reached over the desk, grabbing a pen and put it in Punk's hand.

"Start signing."

Punk began flipping through the pages, signing his infrequently used legal name, his hand shaking the entire time. John had to reach across Punk and hand the packet over to the lawyer when he was done.

"I'll notarize these, file them with the court and then it will be fully executed."

"Thank you for your time. I'll make sure Phil sends you his information," John stood, pulling Punk along with him out the office and back to the car in the parking lot. Punk sat silent in the passenger seat on the way back to the house.

"You're uncharacteristically quiet. Did I do the wrong thing?"

"It was just a shock."

"Why is trusting you with everything I have a shock?"

"It just makes everything very real."

"I thought things between us were very real long before this."

"That's not exactly what I meant, I can't explain..."

"It's just money and material possessions. Just try not to wreck my cars."

"Have you ever seen me drive?"

"Actually, no."

"People getting in the ring with me have a better chance of leaving unscathed than people in the passenger seat when I'm behind the wheel."

"That's it, we're turning around. You do not get to touch my cars."

"John?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you want…"

"Do I want to what?"

"Nothing…Nevermind."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah," Punk said softly, running his thumb over the knuckle of the ring finger on his left hand.

_AN: Some of you wanted pool sex, some of you wanted Puerto Rico sex, pretty much everyone wanted kink. Where does that leave us? With too much smut for one chapter is where. I have to admit that even I needed a shower after writing this. My muses were feeling especially vocal. Hope this fulfills expectations. One more chapter until we reach this installment's last stop, WrestleMania!_


	30. Chapter 30

**March 24, 2012**

Jericho, of course, did not show up for the house show in Lakeland which was a very short drive from Tampa, made even shorter by what John considered driving. Traffic cops were obviously not something that John Cena cared very much about. Punk just held on for dear life as John turned I-4 into his own personal NASCAR track. At least his antics assured that they would be able to spend one more night alone together in what was now truly their house instead of staying in a hotel room like the rest of the roster. In the morning they met up with the roster at the airport in Tampa and flew to Puerto Rico.

Punk was getting sick of Ziggler at these house shows. Even beating him silly for his past transgressions had gotten old. At least today it was a variation on a theme being a 2 out of 3 falls match. The first fall went to Ziggler after Vickie pushed him off the top rope and he straddled the turnbuckle and fell to the mat, leaving Ziggler to hit the Zig Zag, holding on to the ropes for good measure and got the pin. The second fall went to him after a GTS. Punk maneuvered Ziggler into the Anaconda Vise when he heard the crowd erupt with boos due Jericho entering the arena. Punk upped the torque on the maneuver and Ziggler tapped out instantaneously. Punk slid out under the ropes and went after a retreating Jericho and following him to the backstage area.

"Jericho! Jericho, wait up! If you'd turn around and stop running from me like a coward then you would know that I don't have a chair, or a lead pipe or anything else that I might like to try to bludgeon you to death with."

"Listen, I'm sorry…"

"You're not sorry in the slightest so don't even pretend otherwise. What I want to know is what in the fuck is wrong with you. The only thing this needed to be was a straight up wrestling match to see who the best is. You didn't need to show up with your viral videos and your vow of silence and your Lite Brite jacket to get my attention. You could have come up to me on a street corner and asked for a match to see who really had claim to the epithet best in the world and I would have made sure you got it, whether it be on Superstars or a dark match or in front of 3,000 people in Kalamazoo."

"But WrestleMania…"

"You're making my point for me right now. How many famous, show-stealing WrestleMania moments have you had but it never seems to be enough. You're spoken about in the same breath as Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels; you've made your mark on the business. All you're doing now is tarnishing your legacy with the shit you're pulling on me right now. Do you even know or care what you look like, skipping shows and appearing via satellite to air my family's dirty laundry. It makes you look desperate. It makes you look like you couldn't take me in the ring with a pair of mics between us so you had to resort to something so vile just to feel like you were in control. That guy that stepped out into the arena after the millennium clock counted down, the guy that knocked the Rock back on his heels his first night in the WWE, that guy is fading away with every act of cowardice you perpetrate on me. Let's say you do win, don't wait around for me to invoke my rematch clause. One match should be all that's needed to determine who's the best and if that's not me I'm not going to dog your heels begging for scraps. I'll let you get what's coming to you, feuds with mid-card place holders that will bore the crowd to tears, being flung around by whatever juiced up behemoth Vince has a man crush on at the time, having to carry a match with whatever washed-up has been they've found that they pay 5 times as much as you."

"I'll still be Champion."

"And that will be all that's left to you when all this is over. When you walk down that ramp all you'll hear is silence. The fans won't love you, they won't hate you. All you'll get from them is apathy. Any joy you ever found in this business will turn to ashes in your mouth and after all these long years that's all you'll be left with. I won't presume to think that you might actually show up for Raw but if you do drop in via satellite, feel free to say whatever you want. You've already backed me up to the edge, push a little more and you'll get to see what I'm like when I've been pushed over."

"I'm the best Champion the WWE has ever seen!"

"You're not, and you won't ever be, neither will I actually. The sooner you accept that the sooner you stop living in your state of delusion."

Punk turned on his heel and began walking back to the locker room when he heard the sound of carnage being let loose on anything in close proximity to Jericho. Punk turned and watched as Jericho dismantled the backstage area, wanting to see one of the fabled fits of Jericho that the man was prone to. Jericho finally looked up to see he was being watched.

"What the fuck are you looking at?"

"Don't put on a show in the hallway if you don't want an audience."

"I fucking hate you CM Punk, I hate you!"

"You've made that clear. The really fucked up part is that we could have been friends. Come at me again on Raw, I dare you," and Punk turned on his feet and left Jericho seething in the hallway.

Punk eventually made it to the locker room to find John waiting for him in the hallway with their things.

"Everyone already left for the hotel. Where were you?"

"Talking to Jericho."

"You mean you got into a backstage brawl?

"No, I talked, he listened. I don't think he's used to having his motives questioned."

"One night in Puerto Rico, what do you want to do?"

"How about we get a few of the guys together and go to that place we went to with John and Melina last time we were here. Why are you pouting like I just took away your puppy."

"You want to hang out with the guys tonight?" John said with a slight whine.

"Oh, so that's the issue. I didn't think I needed to RSVP to your invitations for sex 2 weeks in advance and then put it in my calendar next to the day when my mortgage payment is due."

"Fine. Dinner with the guys it is."

John had to admit that he was having fun. Not the type of fun that he had planned for the night but Punk seemed to be having a good time. John's good time came to an abrupt halt when he noticed the guy across the room staring a hole through Punk. It wasn't the usual 'oh, it's my favorite wrestler' stare but a heated look that said he would prefer it if Punk's clothes would magically disappear. That look was one that he frequently made use of so he recognized it immediately on the man's face. They were in public so John couldn't kiss Punk to stake his claim nor go across the restaurant and demand that the man avert his fucking eyes from his boyfriend. Eventually the glare John was sending across the room was received and the man looked away. After the cease of seductive looks John figured it was safe to go to the bathroom. When he returned to the table he found Punk missing.

"Where's Phil?"

"He went to order the next round at the bar."

John found Punk leaning against the bar with the guy from across the room standing far too close for his comfort. Punk was talking to the guy who was looking at Punk like he was something to eat. John felt his blood pressure spike when the guy rested his hand on Punk's hip and drew him closer. That was his fucking hip John fumed because it was the hip that bore his name. Punk stepped back quickly and grabbed the tray of drinks from the bar.

"What was that all about?" John asked testily when Punk sat back down.

"It was nothing."

"It didn't look like nothing," John forced out between clenched teeth but Punk had already turned to talk to Kofi and missed John's angry response.

The night finally came to an end without Punk being hit on by any other men, mostly due to the fact that John had followed the guy to the bathroom that had dared put a hand on Punk and threatened to maim him if he so much as looked at Punk again. Punk was having a great time but John sat fuming until they left and headed back to the room.

"I'm going to take a shower, want to come with?" Punk directed at John, obviously confident that his offer would be accepted.

"I'm tired. I'm just going to go to bed and shower in the morning."

"Okay," Punk said with a disappointed tone.

John stripped to his boxers and lay back on the bed. The shower cut on and John rose from the bed searching his bag and found what he was looking for. John lay back in bed and waited for Punk to get out of the shower. He listened as Punk moved through the room and slipped under the covers next to John who wasted no time and rolled on top of Punk, straddling his waist.

"I thought you were tired."

"Just thinking about you naked and wet in the shower changed my mind."

"Why didn't you join me then?"

"I have other plans for you tonight," John said, running his hands up Punk's sides and raising Punk's hands over his head. John held them there with one hand. "Stay."

"What fun would that be? You may have 30 pounds on me but…" Punk went silent when he felt the metal circle his wrists and click into place. He yanked his hands down but the cuffs were threaded through the headboard.

"When we were in Chicago I found them in your bedside drawer. You do have the strangest taste in mementos. I've been waiting for the chance to get my hands on these and you can't say that you don't deserve to be taught a lesson."

"What did I do?"

"How about getting eyefucked by that guy in the restaurant the entire time we were there or maybe it was chatting up that same asshole at the bar, letting him get close enough to put his hands on you. You should know better than that by now."

"I didn't encourage…"

"You never do, do you, but it seems to keep happening over and over doesn't it? It kills me that I can't let every man with wandering eyes that you belong to me, but I can understand why they can't tear their eyes away…" John said softly, running his hand down Punk's bare leg. "If they knew what it was like to have these wrapped around me when I'm buried deep inside you I'd be in more street fights than wrestling matches."

John reached up and pulled Punk's boxers down his legs slowly, spreading Punk's legs to an obscene degree, exposing Punk's entrance to John's hungry gaze. John settled on his stomach between Punk's legs and rubbed his cheek along Punk's smooth thigh until his lips met the tendon connecting Punk's thigh to his pelvis. John sunk his teeth into the flesh, Punk's hips jerking with the pressure, John's tongue running over the mark he had left behind. John lifted Punk's legs to settle them over his shoulders. John's mouth sought out Punk's hole, delicately licking the tight pucker. He restrained himself to only circle the entrance, denying Punk the pleasure of penetration.

"John, please…"

"Please what? This maybe…" John said, sinking two fingers into Punk's opening, scissoring them open roughly, desperate to taste Punk. John inserted a third, then a fourth finger, spreading Punk wide. John resumed his position, bypassing Punk's cock, hard and leaking precome. With the saliva and the thorough fingering John had given Punk, John's tongue slid in easily. His tongue moved in and out, seeking deeper access with every thrust.

"John, right there, fuck, don't stop," John hearing the cuffs rattle as Punk's strained against the restraints.

John used his thumbs to spread Punk even wider so his tongue could continue to caress the bundle of nerves that were reducing Punk to a quivering mess. John wanted to see Punk come undone.

"John, touch me please…"

John did not respond, only continued to feed on Punk's musky flesh. Punk's body seized up, his back arching and his channel tightening around John's tongue. John sat up and rested his head on Punk's hip, watching as Punk came down from his orgasm, his chest and hair slick with sweat. Punk finally opened his eyes to meet John's self-satisfied gaze.

"You certainly seem proud of yourself."

"I just tongue fucked you into an orgasm without ever touching your cock."

"Well if this wrestling thing doesn't work out at least you have a talent to fall back on," Punk said with a laughing smile. Punk let his spread legs tighten around John's waist his feet digging into the muscles of John's upper thighs, trying to draw him closer.

"Something you want?"

"You know what I want."

John sat up, sliding his boxers off and settling back between Punk's legs, his cock brushing up against Punk's entrance but he did not move any further. John watched as Punk tried to impale himself on his cock, arms straining against the cuffs. John moved Punk's legs over his shoulders, sliding into Punk easily, but not moving beyond that motion.

"John, please, move…"

"Maybe I want to stay just like this," John whispered, leaning up to kiss Punk thoroughly. Punk's response was to tighten his muscles around John's cock. John's eyes fluttered closed at the sensation, his hips starting to move of their own accord. Punk rolled his hips and John began to thrust his hips quickly, his pace becoming erratic after being on edge for so long already. He could feel Punk hard between their bodies and wrapped his hand around Punk's cock, stroking him roughly, wanting Punk to come with him. His mind started to get hazy, the friction overwhelming him. Punk's breathing caught and he could feel Punk's come splash between their bodies, the feeling enough to send him toppling over the edge with Punk. Punk's legs fell from over his shoulders. John waited for their breathing to steady and pulled out of Punk.

"This is so hard," John said softly, resting his head on Punk's chest. "I want to be able to hold your hand in public. I want to be able to kiss you any time I want to. Even with the biggest match of my life staring me in the face there are times when I think I would give it all up just so we can have a normal life together, not worry that this might get out and wreck both our careers. Sometimes I think we should just risk it, damn the consequences."

John was surprised when Punk wrapped his arms around him. John looked up at the cuffs wrapped around the headboard.

"What the hell?"

"Don't you remember Tables, Ladder and Chairs? These cuffs have a mind of their own. One sprung open and I unlocked the other one. There's a catch on the side. You think the WWE could afford to buy actual police-style handcuffs not some unreliable thing they found on the internet."

"So you pretended to be locked up?"

"You seemed to be enjoying yourself, why wouldn't I give you what you want?"

"What if I asked if we could just say fuck the world and go public."

"I could deal with the consequences but I don't think you could. I was willing to walk away once but I know you would miss the WWE. TNA would fall over themselves trying to get you and the smaller promotions like ROH or Dragon Gate probably wouldn't care what we did in our spare time but that's not you. You're WWE forever and I don't think that's going to change anytime soon. When you decide to retire then we can do whatever we want."

"We're still young, that's a long time away."

"One day we'll get everything we want, we just have to wait it out."

"There are some things I'm not willing to wait for."

**March 26, 2012**

_Monday Night Raw_

Punk and John arrived at the arena in Atlanta. After speaking to a road agent both men were informed that they were not scheduled for a match that night. They navigated the backstage area and Punk came to a stop in front of the locker room but John kept walking.

"Hey, where are you going? The locker room is right here."

"I pulled rank after you left for Smackdown the other night and got us a private locker room again."

"Neither one of us has matches tonight, what are we supposed to do, stare at each other all night?"

"There are other things we could do…"

"At the current rate of the occurrence of other things I'll be lucky if I can…Christian, Hey!" Punk yelled as Christian came out of the other locker room down the hall. Christian just turned and looked at him uneasily. Jericho stepped into the hallway and smiled smugly at Punk before he and Christian continued down the hallway.

"I'm sorry about Christian throwing his lot in with Jericho."

"Christian changes his allegiances as often as the weather. I just didn't think Christian would be friends with someone so vile. The guy has problems admittedly but…"

"Why do you think he's here?"

"Well there are only 3 open spots left for WrestleMania and I don't think he's been drafted to Team Teddy."

Both Punk and John turned around at the sound of someone coming down the hallway. It was the Rock with his entourage and the only attention he paid them was to smirk at John.

"Let's go to our locker room before we run into any more undesirables in the hallway."

The show started with Randy and Sheamus being defeated by Daniel and Kane. They elected to make out through the majority of the GM clusterfuck but were disturbed when there was a knock on the door.

"Come in," John called out while Punk just scowled at the door.

Randy stuck his head in the door. "I don't care what I'm interrupting but I can't handle being out there in the monitor bay with the great unwashed."

They caught the end of the GM mess when it was revealed that Miz and Christian would be rounding out Team Johnny. There was another knock on the door and John called for them to come in. A road agent stuck his head in the door.

"Punk, there was a last minute change to the card. You'll be facing Christian tonight."

Punk just nodded. "I'm sure Jericho had absolutely nothing to do with that," Punk said sarcastically.

Punk was on his way to the curtain for his match and was greeted with Kofi standing outside the doorway ready to knock.

"Do you guys mind me hanging out in here? Miz is swanning about the monitor bay like he actually was the first draft pick."

The assembled group watched as Punk made his way to the ring. He had only taken a few steps when Jericho appeared on the big screen.

"What the hell! Punk and I saw him earlier. He's in the damn building but he's still hiding out and phoning it in from some abandoned corner of the arena."

Punk just looked frustrated at Jericho's cowardice. John winced as Jericho brought up Punk's mother who John knew Punk adored. Jericho went on to say that Punk was a bastard because his parents were married after Punk was born.

"Does Jericho know what century we're living in because that isn't exactly uncommon," Randy said derisively.

Punk looked pissed but not to the extent that he had been with Jericho's previous claims. They camera pulled back to show Christian standing a few feet from Punk. He said something but no one in the locker room could make out what he said. What was obvious was the intense look of betrayal that Punk directed at Christian. He hung his head and turned his back, giving Christian the opening to attack him from behind.

Christian kicked Punk repeatedly when he was down but made the fatal mistake of throwing Punk to the outside. Punk began slamming Christian's head into the announce table, over and over. Punk landed a particularly vicious kick to Christian's head. Punk followed that up with a GTS to Christian on the steel steps. Punk followed Christian to the ground, locking in the Anaconda Vise. They could hear the officials telling Punk to let go but Punk responded with "Not a chance" and began screaming wildly "This is you Jericho." Punk let up and walked away, only to leap across the steel steps and lock in the Vise again. Punk had a wild look in his eyes, screaming at the top of his lungs. Punk finally backed off and made his way out of the arena.

Kofi and Randy shared an alarmed look.

"I'm out of here," Randy said, rising to leave the room.

"I'm right behind you," Kofi said, both men rushing out the door.

Punk's phone started ringing continuously from inside his bag and John knew it was Punk's Mom. John wasn't sure he would be able to talk down Punk from his current state of mind but maybe his Mother could.

John picked up Punk's voice outside in the hallway. He could make out another voice. Whoever had been sent to interview Punk after that must have a death wish. Punk stormed into the locker room and his belt went flying across the room.

"It's a fucking lie. My mother was married to my father long before they ever had me."

John pulled Punk down to the couch, wrapping his arms around him. Punk buried his head in John's neck.

"It's not so much what he said because I wouldn't care if I was a bastard or not, but no one talks shit about my mother."

"I think Christian got the message."

"Christian, that disloyal fuck."

"What did he say to you in the ring?"

"He apologized. He apologized for telling Jericho things he shouldn't have. That's how Jericho knew about the things he talked about. Christian stabbed me in the back and told Jericho things that I thought Christian knew better than to go repeating no matter how crazy he's acting at the moment. I would hunt his ass down if I didn't know that he's writhing in well-deserved pain in the trainer's room."

Punk stood and made his way to his bag when his phone started going off again. Punk picked it up and immediately held it away from his ear. John could hear Punk's Mother screaming from across the room. Punk didn't say much beyond one word answers before he hung up.

"Well, my Mom's not too happy about basically being called a whore on national TV. Apparently I can never come home again if I don't hand Jericho his ass at WrestleMania. Also, I never want to hear my Mother say fuck again, at least not quite so many times."

Punk collapsed back into the sofa and let out a shaky breath. "Jericho is a fucking dead man."

"If he hasn't figured that out already I think what just happened out in the ring drove that message home."

Punk's phone beeped with a text message.

"That was Kofi. Apparently I reinjured Christian and he had to pull out of the GM match."

They sat in silence, wrapped around each other when the Rock appeared on the screen.

"You should go out there," Punk said, nudging John in the side.

"What about…"

"I can be left alone for 15 minutes. I'm not going to hunt Jericho down and strangle him with my shoelaces. It will be much more satisfying to beat him bloody in front on millions of people."

John reached the gorilla position and listened to the Rock for a while. The Rock was still cracking jokes. John thought that the time for jokes had long passed. WrestleMania was here but the Rock still wasn't taking John seriously. The Rock finally sobered up and John knew it was time for him to confront the Rock for the last time before WrestleMania. John asked the stage tech to cue up his music and made his way to the ring but his feet felt like they were made of lead. With all the wrist notes and the rapping and the hash tagging John hadn't let the full weight of what was about to happen overtake him but now he felt the full force of what was going to happen on Sunday. What if he couldn't beat the Rock? After everything he had done and said he left himself with no way out. If he lost everything he had worked so hard for over the past decade his career would be in tatters. He would have to take his loss and walk into Raw the next night and face the fans that thirsted for his humiliation at the hands of the Rock.

He felt his John Cena persona slip into place to try and deny everything he was feeling inside. He finally understood fully what Punk said about being seen as weak. He put on the show that the fans expected but as he cleared the curtain his face fell. He walked back into his and Punk's locker room and collapsed on the sofa next to Punk, letting his head fall in Punk's lap.

"What happens if I lose?"

Punk didn't respond verbally, just ran his hands over his shorn hair.


	31. Chapter 31

**March 27, 2012**

"Get up. Time for WrestleMania week to begin," John said. Punk opened his eyes and John leaned in to give him a soft kiss.

"I don't care how many kisses you try to bribe me with but I am not looking forward to all the media crazy. I just want to wrestle."

"You are the WWE Champion. You wear the belt you get the responsibilities that go along with it."

"That's the first valid argument I've heard for Jericho taking my belt."

"All we have to do today is the press conference."

"I'm overcome with joy at the thought."

They gathered their things and made their way to the airport with a small group of the Raw roster. The GM clusterfuck required a large contingent of the Raw roster to be at the Smackdown taping that night.

"Not to sound entitled or anything but why aren't we taking the jet?" Punk said as they made their way through security.

"I'm sure the Rock, his entourage and his colossal ego is taking up all the seats."

"I know I've told anyone who will listen that the Rock doesn't deserve to be in the main event but now that he's been back on a regular basis I can't deny that I just want to see the back of him," Punk said while taking off his shoes and going through the scanner.

"Yeah, good luck with that when he's going to be dropping in occasionally for the lead up to the next WrestleMania."

"What in the hell are you talking about?"

"You didn't see the press conference?"

"I've been busy being persecuted by Jericho."

"The Rock's going to be involved in some way at the next WrestleMania."

"We're going to have to go through all this again?" Punk whined, as he was pulling on his shoes and gathering his things. Punk looked up when John went through the scanner and it started beeping.

"Sir, do you have anything in your pockets?"

"Uh, no. Nothing metal anywhere on me."

"Try again, sir."

The scanner beeped again.

"I'm going to have to ask you to step over there behind the privacy curtain for a body search."

Punk waited impatiently for John to finally come out. He emerged with a female TSA agent who was staring directly at Punk with a wide smile on her face.

"What did you do to her; she's smiling so much I think she's going to sprain a muscle. Did you let her feel you up or something?"

"It wasn't a big thing. It turned out that I had some change in my pocket that I forgot about."

They finally boarded the plane and took their seats in the front row of first class with the rest of the roster filling up the compartment. Punk lifted the arm rest and lifted John's arm to wrap around his shoulders and laid his head on John's chest.

"Wake me when we get there."

Punk slept through the entire flight and after they deplaned John hurried them to catch their ride to the hotel. They entered their room and John opened his suitcase and retrieved his suit.

"We only have 15 minutes before we have to leave for the press conference."

"Unless you've become extremely high maintenance without me noticing I think we're fine."

John started pulling on his clothes but noticed that Punk wasn't moving from his spot reclining against the headboard.

"We really need to hurry, start changing."

"I'm not changing."

"I'm pretty sure this thing has a dress code."

"They didn't hire me for my debonair fashion sense so they can take what they get."

"I hesitate to ask but you did bring a suit for the Hall of Fame induction?"

"Yeah, it's in my bag," Punk said, moving to his suitcase and pulling out a crumpled mess of black fabric.

"You've got to be kidding me."

"What?"

"The hotel probably has dry cleaning. We'll take care of it when we get back. If you're not wearing a suit neither am I, and John pulled his jorts and t-shirt back on.

John and Punk arrived at the hotel and walked backstage meeting Hunter who was directing traffic, trying to get the event to go well while also keeping certain camps as far away from each other as possible. He looked up at them and zeroed in on John and Punk.

"What the hell is wrong with you two? Did you not get the message that there was a dress code?"

"Must have missed that one," Punk said with a laugh.

"Do you even own a suit?"

"I do, it just happens to be incapacitated at the moment."

"I'm tempted not to even let you go out there."

"Works for me."

"Knowing you, you probably intentionally dressed this way to get out of the press conference. I know this dress down idea was probably Punk's doing so I'm not even going to say a thing to you John."

When it was Punk's turn to go out he walked onto the stage in his Colt of Personality t-shirt and baggy jeans. John knew it was only going to go downhill from there when the first question Punk got was to take off his shirt. Punk continued on, throwing out a profanity or two and getting in his requisite insult of Laurinaitis.

"I am never letting him do another one of these again," Hunter said, clearly exasperated with Punk's performance.

Punk's clothing again was brought up on his way off the stage when he was offered $100 to take off his shirt and Punk seemed to be seriously considering it. Punk looked briefly to the side of the stage and an angry Hunter was motioning emphatically to get off the stage.

"You're a complete ass, do you know that? John, I have no idea how you put up with him on a daily basis."

"I wonder that sometimes myself but he's my ass and I have to tolerate the crazy, even if he's offering to strip down during a press conference which he knows he's going to pay for later."

Punk just stuck his tongue out at John.

"You're too classy for words Punk, really," Hunter said with annoyance.

**March 28, 2012**

The morning started off with a tortuous meeting that morning that should have been a simple rah rah WrestleMania meeting but actually turned out to be a meeting about Twitter hash tagging that included a power point presentation with Vince at the helm and Stephanie and Hunter standing close by. Punk thought there was something seriously wrong with the world if this was considered a matter of high importance. Punk immediately sent out a tweet that used every single hash tag that was on the screen, and by the looks of his Twitter feed many of his colleagues had the same thoughts about the moronacy of the meeting.

He and John were about to leave when Hunter called them over to the front of the room and held them there until the room had completely cleared out and then Hunter and Stephanie both stepped away and left them with Vince.

"Stephanie and Hunter shared some interesting information with me on the plane ride here. They didn't want me to be shocked at what I might see, that being you two all over each other. I have to admit that they were probably overstating the situation because I watched you during the meeting and neither of you did anything to betray what is actually going on between you two. It has to stay that way. You're allowed a certain amount of freedom in the backstage area but all it takes is one disaffected co-worker and it's going to be all over the dirt sheets. I'm actually surprised that you two haven't been outted. Things will not go well for you two should this get out. It's not a threat; I'm just stating the obvious. John Cena and CM Punk? I would never have put my money on that one. John, do you mind if I speak to Punk alone please."

John stepped away and Vince leaned against the table behind him and was silent for a few moments.

"I really hate to say this but I just wanted to tell you what a good job you're doing as Champion. I certainly didn't think you could possibly handle it but the crowd adores you and you're actually entertaining to watch as opposed to some former Champions who shall not be named. I live for the mocking of Laurinaitis. He does his job well but I find myself more often than not wanting to slap the taste out of his mouth but I guess I can leave that up to you. I know we haven't gotten along in the past so that's why I brought a peace offering."

Vince reached under the table and pulled out a small cooler. Punk opened it up, removed the dry ice on top to find ice cream bars with his likeness on the package.

"Don't get too excited, these were a special order, but I wanted to say thanks and figured this was the best way to say that," and Vince walked away with Stephanie and Hunter in tow.

Punk and John went their separate ways for they say and when Punk returned from his shift at Axxess he found John lying face down on the bed.

"Rough day?"

"I know I'm supposed to be the go to guy for these types of things but if I never have to do another interview it will be too soon. I'm just repeating the same things over and over."

"And just think we have 2 more days of this. Maybe you should adopt my philosophy and start taking bids to take off your clothes."

"About that…"

"Wasn't it hilarious?"

"To you maybe. Hunter looked like he was 30 seconds away from an aneurism and you know I'm not best pleased when you're being treated like a sex object but unfortunately I couldn't go into the crowd and strong arm a female reporter. Try not to sell your body for money again I beg you."

"You'll never guess what happened at Axxess."

"You made a fan cry with your razor sharp wit."

"There were tears but they were tears of joy. There was a marriage proposal right in front of my table. It was pretty cool. I am able to inspire matrimony all around me," Punk said nonchalantly to see if he could get a reaction from John from the statement but John didn't even blink. Maybe Punk was living in some sort of fantasy land where he and John were going to one day tie the knot. What if everyone was wrong and John just wanted him to be his live-in boyfriend for the rest of their lives. Punk knew he should just bite the bullet and propose himself but he was too afraid or rejection, too afraid that John would just tell him flat out 'No.'

**March 31, 2012**

John waited impatiently for Punk to emerge from the bathroom. Punk had taken his suit in there 20 minutes ago and had still not emerged. John rose from the bed and knocked on the bathroom door.

"What exactly is the hold up in there? We're going to be late for the Hall of Fame Induction ceremony."

"Then go without me, I'm not coming out of this bathroom, I look like a fool. Suits are not standard operating procedure for CM Punk."

"It's just a suit, come on we need to leave."

Punk came out of the bathroom and John's eyes widened and he could feel his breath stick in his throat.

"Hello James Bond."

"That's it. I'm going to fake an illness."

"You look beyond hot in that suit."

"Well take a mental picture because it's never going to happen again."

"I wouldn't bet on that if I were you. I'm sure there's going to be future events that will require you donning this suit again."

"Oh really?"

"Really."

"Well come on Pussy Galore. The sooner this is over the sooner I can't get out of this suit."

They arrived at the small arena that had been chosen for the ceremony. The main roster members were milling around the backstage area. It was a tradition that the higher placed wrestlers escort the widows of famous wrestlers. John was assigned Arnold Skaaland's wife. John looked for Punk in the press of people and found him with Lita who had her hand tucked into the crook of Punk's arm. This was completely unacceptable. Everyone else got gray haired old ladies to entertain and Punk was going to be spending the night with Lita of the roaming hands. He felt a hand rest on his forearm.

"Son, if you would listen to a little advice from an older person who's seen a lot more than you have in the world…"

"Yes?"

"Walk over there and stake your claim on your man. That woman looks like a trollop and it would probably better it nip this in the bud as soon as possible."

John nodded and walked over to Punk and Lita, removing Lita's hand from Punk's person.

"Listen, woman. I don't hit women but if you don't get your hands off my boyfriend I'm going to give you a black eye to match that slutty black dress you're wearing."

"I didn't know…" Lita said with a smile.

"You did damn well know, I can see it all over your face. Keep your hands to yourself before you lose them."

John walked back over to Mrs. Skaaland who patted John's hand.

"That was well done Mr. Cena. I can see your young man thought so too."

John looked back over to Punk who was staring at John with a sly grin with a petulant Lita standing next to him, her hands crossed over her chest.

John searched the room for the Rock and couldn't find him anywhere. Yokozuna was a family member of his and he still didn't show up for the ceremony? He could add being completely classless to the ever growing list of things he couldn't stand about the Rock.

The ceremony was going well until he was tapped on the shoulder by Mrs. Skaaland.

"It looks like the little hussy is back at it again."

Sure enough Lita kept making attempts to hold Punk's hand who kept slapping Lita's away.

"Son, how about I go take care of this for you. Sometimes a little chat female to female is all that's needed."

During the next break Mrs. Skaaland rose and walked down to where Punk was being molested incessantly. John couldn't tell what was said but Lita seemed shocked at whatever was coming out of the older woman's mouth. John was confused when Lita rose and Mrs. Skaaland took her seat causing Lita to take a seat next to John who stared her down in disgust.

"What did I tell you…"

"Nothing that I bothered listening to but that woman was scary. I've never been called a jezebel before."

**April 1, 2012**

_WrestleMania_

Punk and John walked into the arena and immediately clasped hands after the door shut behind them. Now that the media blitz was through all they had on their minds were their matches. There was symmetry between their matches because both were defending their hard won reputations and a loss would destroy everything that had worked so hard for. They found their way to their locker room. While shared locker rooms were the norm in the WWE, for one night only everyone involved in the pay per view were given a private locker room. WrestleMania was too much of an investment to have some melee take place backstage and disrupt the carefully planned event. Punk and John settled on the couch to watch the feed of the event, not bothering to put on their gear since both of their matches would be in the closing hour of the four hour event.

John and Punk were both shocked when Daniel lost to Sheamus in mere seconds. Punk fully believed that Daniel had gone round the bend but if he broke a friendship with every person that went a little wacky he wouldn't have many friends and Punk and Daniel's past counted for a lot. Then Randy inexplicably lost to Kane which neither John nor Punk saw coming.

Cody Rhodes and Big Show were next up and while Punk didn't really have a vested interest in the match he did notice a show wide trend.

"Is it just me or does there seem to be a ton of robes at this event? Did Ric Flair go into the fashion design business and we weren't told?" Punk thought out loud.

"It's the showcase of the immortals and you notice what people are wearing?"

"When my mind isn't fully occupied it goes to strange places."

"Maybe I could help you out with that," and John pulled Punk into his lap and they proceeded to make out like overeager teenagers. Just when things were starting to get good and John had Punk grinding his hips against his, Punk slid off his lap.

"Hey, get back here!" John exclaimed.

"Sorry, don't want to miss this."

John looked up at the monitor as Triple H's music played through the arena.

"What monstrosity is Hunter using for his entrance? It looks like Satan's bounce house. I almost expected a return to the pelts and crown after that. Who convinced him that was a good idea? They had to twist my arm for me to even use pyro."

They watched as the Undertaker took around 4 minutes to reach the ring. While the Undertaker usually took a few minutes this eclipsed it by far. The match took an immediate turn for the brutal and bloodthirsty when the bell rang. John and Punk watched in silent amazement at the spectacle that was Hunter vs. Undertaker.

Hunter came out on the losing side of the effort but that didn't really matter when you had just put on a 5 star match with match of the year written all over it.

"That was seriously epic," Punk said in awe. "I know I said I was going to steal the show but there is no way in hell that I can top that."

"I'm right there with you."

The GM clusterfuck was up next and Punk had a bad feeling about the outcome of the match. Punk was relieved when the individual entrances were skipped and the teams came out as a group. If they came in one by one chances are the entrances would have taken longer than the match itself. Kofi, Truth and Booker T were the only people Punk had any respect for on Team Teddy. Khali could barely do anything that could be considered wrestling, Santino was more of a joke than anything else and he hoped that Ryder would get the shit kicked out of him. Punk hated to admit it but Laurinaitis had the far superior team. Punk burst out laughing when he saw Laurinaitis.

"What the hell is Clown Shoes wearing? It looks like he's about to baptize someone in a lake or initiate someone into a cult."

Punk was proved right about the outcome of the match, besides just descending into total anarchy, Miz managed to hit the Skull Crushing Finale on Ryder after some inexplicable participation from Eve. Laurinaitis now had full control of Raw and Smackdown and Punk had no doubt he was in for some very tough nights in his future. Even Eve kicking Ryder in the balls wasn't enough to chase away the apprehensive feeling that came over him.

Punk pulled on his gear, kissing John softly before heading for the door, stopping in the doorway and pulling the plug to the monitor out of the wall.

"Hey! What are you doing?"

"You shouldn't watch."

"Why the hell not?"

"It's going to get nasty out there. Jericho didn't do all the things he's done to walk into WrestleMania and take me on honestly. The last thing you need to see before your match with the Rock is me getting screwed out of the title."

John rose to his feet and stood close to Punk, plugging the monitor back in.

"You're going to win, I know it," John said, holding Punk close.

"You know best," and Punk slipped out of the room.

A few seconds later the door opened again and Punk leaned in just far enough so his head was visible, "Actually, I know best."

Punk had barely made it a few feet from his dressing room when he the victorious Laurinaitis faction passed him in the hallway. It was too much to ask for Laurinaitis just to pass him by and keep walking. He was at WrestleMania to take on Jericho not to have any sort of conversation with Clown Shoes. He tried his very best to restrain himself but it was all for nothing when Laurinaitis decided to fuck around with his match minutes before it was about to start. Laurinaitis added the stipulation that if he was disqualified the title would change hands. Punk was never one for getting himself intentionally disqualified but with an opponent like Jericho and all the shit he had rained down on him leading to WrestleMania he would have to restrain himself which wouldn't be easy. He was incensed and wished he could get some sort of control over himself but it was a useless task. When he reached the gorilla position he could tell that Jericho had already been informed of the stipulation due to the manic gleam in Jericho's eyes.

He entered the arena after Jericho and staring Jericho down Punk knew that if he couldn't fight the stipulation he could work around it. He smirked at Jericho and the match began as the technical display of maneuvers that he expected started off the match. It didn't last long when Punk saw his opening and trapped Jericho in the corner, throwing kicks and punches and backing off right before the official could disqualify him. He went to charge Jericho again when he stood up and slapped Punk across the face before cowering back into his corner. Punk turned his back, trying to get his emotions under control and just when Punk thought he had calmed down Jericho responded with two more slaps and retreated back to the corner again. Punk followed him there and with what Punk defined as herculean effort he backed off before he was disqualified. He was playing Jericho's game, getting more and more angry with Jericho dishing out slaps, maligning his family and basically taunting Punk to disqualify himself. Punk lost his temper and made a misstep and found himself on the receiving end of a suplex to the floor. After that it was Jericho trying to further injure his back, softening Punk up for the Walls of Jericho.

As the match finally became a back and forth of offense it dawned on Punk that he and Jericho had more in common than just calling themselves best in the world. They seemed to be working from the same repertoire of moves. He hit Jericho with the GTS but he was too hurt to cover him immediately and Jericho draped his foot on the ropes. Punk rallied again and set Jericho up for a hurricanrana. He performed the move perfectly but somehow, and Punk really had no idea how, but he ended up in the Walls of Jericho. He was in excruciating pain but he somehow managed to reverse the move that led to a series of close pinning combinations traded between them. Punk maneuvered Jericho into the Anaconda Vise. Jericho resorted to hair pulling and knees to the back of his skull, getting partially loose from the move but Punk kept finding ways to lock it back in, changing the hold each time to negate whatever Jericho had used to disrupt the hold. Punk finally locked in the Vise, far away from any offense Jericho might muster. Punk could hardly believe it when Jericho tapped. He collapsed next to Jericho and then the strangest thing happened. He felt a hand lightly scratch at his sweat dampened hair. If it had been anyone else doing the scratching Punk would almost call it affectionate, like Jericho was congratulating him on a hard fought match but that couldn't be the motivation, could it? Jericho seceded the ring to him and Punk celebrated, enjoying his WrestleMania moment.

John was waiting for Punk as he cleared the curtain. Punk dropped his hard won belt and threw his arms around John's neck; kissing him like there was no tomorrow even though they were in full view of quite a few people.

"What in the blue hell!"

Both men broke the kiss and turned around. Jericho was standing a few feet from Punk holding the Championship belt and the Rock was a little further back staring in shock at what he had just seen. Jericho rolled his eyes at the Rock.

"If you ever spoke to anyone beyond your entourage you would have known all about them. I had only been back for half an hour when I got the whole tragicomic tale. We're all thankful you're blind to anything that doesn't involve you because there are only so many gay jokes that we can handle," Jericho said disdainfully, turning to face Punk.

"Turn around."

"Why? So you can bash me over the head with my own belt."

"John can see everything I'm doing, just turn around."

Punk reluctantly turned around, Jericho settling the belt around Punk's waist and snapping it into place. Punk turned to face Jericho, wary of what Jericho was up to.

"You were the better man…tonight. I'll see you at Raw," and Jericho said, ruffling Punk's hair like he did in the ring and turned on his heel and walked down the hall.

"Jericho seemed almost like a human being there for a second, but if there's any more illicit hair stroking I'm going to steal his precious jacket and stomp on it until I break every gaudy light," John said with a tint of suspicion in his voice.

"Don't expect it to last," Punk turned to John and kissed him one last time. "Have fun out there, kick ass."

Punk turned around to face the Rock.

"Will you stop gawking at us, you look like a fool. By the way, John's lady parts…" Punk said as he walked to where the Rock was standing. He leaned up to whisper something in the Rock's ear and John could swear that he saw the man blush. Punk turned and waved at John and walked down the hallway back to their locker room.

_AN: The WrestleMania chapter turned out to be massive so I'm splitting it up into two parts. Reviews shall bring forth the 2nd part. Enjoy!_


	32. Chapter 32

When Punk made it back to his locker room, standing outside it was Kofi, Randy and Truth. Kofi and Truth had brought snacks and Randy seemed to be exasperated at the company he found himself in. They all took seats around the locker room to watch John's match.

Punk could automatically tell that John was not himself. If it was anyone else he would say they looked intimidated. John wasn't bouncing all over the ring as he usually did but was crouched in the corner. The match began and it was obvious to everyone in the locker room that the Rock was not performing as expected, he was better.

"It doesn't look like the Rock has any ring rust on him," Randy said, voicing aloud the opinion of everyone in the room. John seemed to be just as shocked.

"It's obvious he's been training with someone because you can't get back in ring shape that quickly without some help," Kofi observed.

"I wonder who the traitor was?" Punk questioned an opinionless room. "They obviously knew what they were doing because the Rock didn't look this good at Survivor Series."

John was holding his own against the Rock but when the tide turned against him John bailed out of the ring to the outside, something very uncharacteristic of him. Punk was starting to feel intense nervousness on John's behalf. AA's and Rock Bottoms were traded but neither man was able to follow them up with a pin.

John locked in the STF and it looked like the Rock was seconds away from passing out cold but he somehow made it to the ropes. John took advantage of a misstep and got the upper hand. Punk was sure the match was seconds from ending with John's hand raised until everyone in the locker room gasped at what they saw on the monitor. John whipped off the sweatband around his bicep, threw it into the audience and kicked the Rock's arms, moving him into place for the People's Elbow.

"What in the world is John thinking?" Randy said, dropping his head into his hands.

"This is so not a good idea," Kofi observed.

"Little Jimmy says cut out the showboating and AA the pebble."

"Oh fucking hell…" Punk shouted when the Rock rose, caught John with the Rock Bottom and got the pin. The audience erupted but Punk's stomach dropped to his feet. He could only watch in pain as John collapsed on the ramp and stared at the ring, the Rock celebrating his win. John looked completely broken.

The locker room cleared out like rats deserting a sinking ship. Punk wanted to both run away with them and stay exactly where he was and be there for John like he had so many times for him. What was he supposed to say to John? He had the Rock beat and as if by osmosis the Rock's egomaniacal ways took over John and he had attempted the extremely ill-advised mocking of the People's Elbow. The win was in John's grasp and he let it slip through his fingers.

John walked into the locker room and Punk knew that words were not necessary. It was written all over John's face that he knew the mistake he had made. Punk watched as John removed his gear and headed for the shower. Punk made no move to follow or even try to speak to John. John had always given him the space he needed when his emotions were in a dangerous place. Punk also knew that giving some sort of speech to cheer John up would fail spectacularly. John came back into the locker room, changed into his street clothes and stared at the alcove in front of him for several highly uncomfortable minutes. It was obvious that John was not going to be snapping out of it anytime soon. Punk made the decision to try to comfort John, rising from the couch and stepping behind John, wrapping his arms around John's middle. He could feel John taking shuddering breaths and after some time John turned around in Punk's arms and laid his head on Punk's shoulder, the tears coming from John's eyes wetting his shirt.

"What was I thinking? How could I do something so stupid?" John said, his voice muffled.

"Your emotions got the better of you, it happens to us all from time to time."

"I'm going to have to go out there tomorrow night and face the crowd. They're not going to be booing me because they hate me for a change but mocking me for running off my mouth and then failing to get the job done. The Rock is going to stroll out to the ring victorious and then take off again to film some movie or walk a red carpet and I'll still be here trying to live this down."

"I'd go out there and tell the crowd to go fuck themselves but I know that's not you. How does the saying go 'Rise Above Hate?"

"That's going to be pretty tough when the person you hate is you but you're right. I'm going to go out there, congratulate the Rock on being the better man at WrestleMania and try to move on from there."

"As long as you don't move on to my title."

"Even in my moment of anguish you manage to find a way to make me smile. At least I still have you."

"Well, I don't know…you did lose to the Rock."

John leaned up and kissed Punk tenderly.

"We're going to get through this together. The WWE Universe doesn't have a very long memory. In a month no one will even care what happened at WrestleMania, they'll be all over the next big thing."

They made their way to the hotel. John's smile increasing with every floor they ascended until the doors opened and John pulled Punk so quickly down the hall that Punk thought John might dislocate his arm. They entered the room and John pushed Punk down to a sitting position on the bed.

"This is so not how I planned this night to go. It doesn't have to be a complete loss but I'm going to need your help."

"Anything."

"John walked over to his suitcase and came back with both fists balled up and settled on his knees between Punk's legs.

"Pick one."

Punk smiled at John's night being saved by a childish sort of game. Punk made a point of being tragically undecided but eventually tapped the top of a closed fist.

"Stand up and hold out your hand."

Punk stood and held out his hand, palm facing up and into it dropped two twin platinum bands. Punk looked down at John who was smiling so brightly, his dimples fully evident and a hopeful look in his eyes. John rose up on one knee and brought Punk's left hand to his lips, softly kissing Punk's ring finger and then lowered it so that is was pressed over his heart.

"I knew that we would be together forever after our first kiss. You may not have felt the same way at first but you gradually gave me your love until I knew I occupied your whole heart, maybe even before you did. I gave my heart to you and have never regretted it since. You're the love of my life and there will never be another for me but you. You've given me so much but I have to ask you to make one final step with me. Philip Jack Brooks, will you marry me?"

Punk knelt down so that they were eye to eye.

"My love and trust might have taken longer to develop but it doesn't make them any less true. It makes them truer in fact, seeing every side of you, from the good to the bad, to know that I would love you forever, that you were meant to be the only one for me. I want to spend the rest of my life with you, and even though it won't be legal almost everywhere we go, I want to know that we joined our lives together in front of our family and friends. John Felix Anthony Cena, will you marry me? My answer is yes, what is yours?

"Yes, of course it's yes," John yelled with joy, throwing his hands around Punk's neck and toppling them to the ground. "I was so worried that you were going to say no because I thought that marriage might not be something you ever conceived of doing. I've been rehearsing that speech since I bought the rings."

"When was that?"

"After Christmas. When we were in Tiffany's buying your Mom's present I saw them in the display case and knew they were perfect for us; simple but still beautiful. I found them on the internet and sent in our sizes."

"How did you manage that when I've never worn a ring in my life?"

"Do you want to see what was in the other hand? In a way it's your engagement ring."

John reached over to grab the object from the ground near the sofa. John opened his hand and Punk peered in, totally confused by what he was seeing.

"Lint?"

"It's not lint, its string."

"From your sewing kit I imagine."

"What do you know about the sewing kit?"

"To put the explanation into the right context so I don't seem like some sort of psycho, about everyone I knew told me that you were going to ask me to marry you. I went through your things looking for the rings but the only out of place thing I found was that sewing kit."

"You obviously didn't look inside."

"Why would I? I can't think of anything more useless than a sewing kit."

"Its use is that it's the perfect place to hide a set of rings. A place where not to bring them is keeping them in your pocket when you're going through airport security. I couldn't exactly have put the rings in the little plastic basket without you seeing. I had to weave a romantic tale to the TSA agent so she would let me go. I practiced my proposal over and over knowing I only had one chance to get it right but you seemed to know just what to say."

"Actually I had some time to practice as well. I've been trying to ask you to marry me for the last few weeks but I could never get the words out."

"You were going to propose to me? Did I already tell you I love you? Because I do, desperately. Now back to your engagement ring. I know you're not the type to want one but I do want people to know that you belong to someone, that you're loved by someone, even if you can't say that it's me."

John took the ball of string, stretched it out and slipped the circle of string down the ring finger of Punk's left hand.

"You're right, this is about all the bling that I can handle since I'm already on overload with the belt."

"This is the string I used to measure your finger for the wedding rings while you were sleeping…"

"Do you know that's the first time that you said that phrase?"

"What phrase?"

"Wedding rings. We're going to have a wedding; we're going to be married. If someone told me that this would be my chosen life a year ago I would have had them maimed by Nexus."

"But you're happy with the strange course of events that led us here?"

"I am. I wouldn't have had it any other way. I love you John Cena."

"I love you too Phil Brooks. What is your opinion on pre-marital sex?" John asked with a wicked smile.

"That you won't be getting any until we put on your engagement ring as well," Punk said with a wide smile, going to John's suitcase where the sewing kit was lying on top and then sitting back down on the carpet next to John.

"What color do you want? You know, how about we just give you green for now and every time you change your shirt colors we can change up the color. John watched as Punk wrapped the thread around his finger, knotted it and snipped the loose ends off with what the makers of the sewing kit considered scissors. "Wait, one more thing!" and Punk reached for the bedside table, grabbing his phone. Punk held their hands up together so that their matching engagement rings of string were visible and got John to hold up the actual wedding bands in front of their hands. He turned the phone around and snapped a photo of their incandescently happy faces.

"Please don't send that out now. We'll never hear the end of it for the rest of the night."

"I know better than that. I just wanted a picture of us in the moment. I'll send it out tomorrow morning. So Mrs. Punk, how about offering up a little of that pre-marital sex that you were talking about earlier," Punk said with a provocative smile.

Punk stood up and started to pull his shirt off but John rose and stilled Punk's hands.

"No, let me," and John pulled Punk's shirt slowly over his head, running his fingers through Punk's ungelled hair. He palmed the back of Punk's head, drawing him close to kiss him, eager to have no part of Punk's mouth go unexplored. He was going to remember and cherish every moment of this night and that included the sugared flavor of Punk's mouth. Punk's tongue followed John's, letting Punk kiss him with the same amount of thoroughness. Punk began to kiss him more fiercely, his hands sliding down to toy with the hem of John's shirt. John regretfully broke the first kiss of their engaged life and let Punk pull his shirt over his head.

Punk moved closer so that the warm flesh of their chests was melded together. Punk kissed him briefly on the mouth, working his way across his cheek to his neck where he began sucking and kissing down the tendon he found there. Punk kissed his way across John's chest, only stopping to nip at his nipples and soothe the bite with a lick and a kiss. The other side of John's neck was given the same treatment. Punk lightly bit John's earlobe and whispered softly in John's ear.

"Can I remove these?" Punk asked while sliding his hands down John's muscled chest and abs, stopping at his belt buckle.

"Can I call you my fiancé?"

"Only at appropriate times."

"That sounds vague."

"Just say it and then if I'm glaring at you afterwards then you'll know it wasn't the correct time."

"Since I will want to tell every person I come in contact with and arenas full of fans I have a feeling that I'm going to be doing a lot of apologizing and groveling."

John felt Punk undo his belt buckle, unbuttoning and unzipping his jorts and lowering them to the floor with his boxer briefs. Punk looked so tempting his knees in front of him and the feeling increased when Punk gently licked the head of his cock, his tongue dipping in the slit to taste the precome there. He reached down to grasp Punk's shoulders and lifted him back to his feet.

"You don't want…"

"All I want to do is be inside you, feel you all around me," John said, untying Punk's gym shorts and lowering them to the ground. John stood and wrapped his arms around Punk's waist, lifting him off his feet so John had to look up to kiss Punk. Punk kissed him deeply as John walked them over to the bed and laid them both down, John's body settling between Punk's spread thighs. John smoothed his hands down Punk's legs from ankle to hip, reveling in the soft, lightly muscled expanse. He let his hands and mouth explore the colorful spread of Punk's chest, suckling each nipple until they formed hard peaks. His lips wandered down the midline of Punk's chest, coming to rest over the tattoo on Punk's hip that bore his name. His thumb caressed the writing several times and then traced his signature with his tongue over and over. He thought when they got these tattoos that he knew what it felt like to possess someone but he really hadn't had a clue until now.

John moved back up Punk's body, kissing him leisurely, Punk moaned at the contact. Punk's arms twined around John's neck, keeping him close so that the kiss could not be broken. They were content to just lay with each other, skin to skin, and revel at the new and unexpected feelings two rings and two circles of thread had brought to their relationship. Their hips began to grind together, creating a ghost of the feeling that their full joining would bring.

John lined his hips up and slid into Punk's tight opening, somewhat resistant due to the lack of preparation but when Punk wanted to feel that John had been there for days he made this request and without asking knew that this is what Punk would prefer on this night. Buried to the hilt in Punk's warm and grasping channel he paused to commit to memory exactly what this felt like. He drew Punk's legs to circle his waist; Punk tightened his legs around his body. John looked up into Punk's stormy green eyes.

"This is the way that I love the most. I always feel closest to you when we're lying skin to skin down the length of our bodies and your arms and legs are wrapped around me, like you never want me to leave."

John began slowly stroking in and out of Punk's body, almost pulling all the way out to plunge back in, breathing in time with each other, wanting this to last forever. Punk's hips started rolling against his, John taking the cue to increase the pace of his thrusts.

"John, it's so good, so good…"

Punk's soft moans were so enticing that he had to lean down and capture them with his mouth, drawing every bit of Punk's pleasure into him. He angled his hips, practiced in the ways of Punk's body, applying pressure to the bundle of nerves that would send Punk over the edge.

"Right there, oh fuck, John…"

John would love to draw this out forever but his body's undeniable demands and Punk's labored breathing caused his hips to pound forcefully against Punk, reaching between them to stroke Punk to completion. He could feel Punk's come splash between them at the same moment John came deep within Punk's body. John laid down, his head resting over Punk's heart, a heart that beat only for him in this moment. He stayed that way for a few silent minutes, their bodies still joined together, marveling at what it felt like to truly know that Punk was his and he was Punk's. John pulled out of Punk and drew the covers over them, turning them on their sides.

Punk pulled John's arms around him so that his back was pressed to John's chest. John let his mouth travel to the spot behind Punk's ear, licking and kissing the sensitive skin. Punk reached back with his hand, keeping John's mouth close, John worshiping the spot that inspired the first romantic words he ever spoke to Punk.

"You still taste as sweet as you did that first night."

John gave the spot one last kiss and rested his chin on Punk's shoulder, their cheeks pressed together. Punk held out his hand to admire his engagement string.

"You know most women adopt that pose when they're admiring their diamonds."

"They can keep their over-priced pieces of rock. My ring says all it needs to, that you are mine and I am yours. John reached over and lined up his hand with Punk's, reveling in the feeling that something so small as a piece of thread could reveal feelings you didn't know were there.

"Phil, I love you."

"And I love you. Just because I'm almost Mrs. Cena doesn't mean that I'm going to stop wanting to get my own way all the time."

"Yes Phil, yes, whatever you want."

_AN: And this brings us to the end of a Hazy Shade of Winter with our boys engaged and happy, as it should be. This installment presented many challenges but I hope I handled them in an engaging and entertaining way. There is one last installment of the quadrilogy and then this series will come to a close. I hope you enjoyed the ride as much as I did. The WrestleMania chapters took a lot of work and I feel spent and need a little break but I'll be back to see our boys safely to the altar. I want to sincerely thank my reviewers. Your support is just as big a part of my creative process as me actually committing words to screen. Hope to see you all again when the new story gets posted._


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